Violent protests broke out at the world’s largest iPhone factory in central China on Wednesday as authorities try to contain a Covid-19 outbreak and maintain production ahead of the Christmas period.
Videos posted by workers at the factory, located in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, show employees clashing with policemen armed with batons and dressed in white protective suits. The images show policemen beating workers, some of whom appear bleeding from the head and others limping.
China’s zero-tolerance policy against Covid-19 poses a challenge to the management of the factory owned by the Taiwanese group Foxconn, which employs, in a normal period, more than 200,000 workers in the suburbs of Zhengzhou.
The company confirmed in a statement that there were violent clashes on the premises.
The group, which assembles electronics for many international brands including US-based Apple, said workers had complained of wage problems and poor working conditions.
The factory has seen a rise in Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, imposing a ‘closed loop’ system of work. This means that workers are prohibited from leaving the premises.
Problems at the factory earlier this month prompted Apple to revise delivery dates for the latest-generation iPhone 14 and issue a rare warning to investors about the delays.
Workers at the Foxconn factory said the protests began after the company refused to pay promised bonuses. Videos show workers overturning carts, entering factory offices and destroying a booth where Covid-19 tests are carried out.
Foxconn is working with the government of the province of Henan, where the factory is located, to report its assembly lines with new workers, after a Covid-19 outbreak has led to a mass exodus of employees, not the end of last month.
Local authorities took it upon themselves to help hire workers for the factory, which accounted for 60% of exports. To maintain production, Foxconn also offered bonuses to the remaining employees.
Source: TSF
