Violent protests erupted this Wednesday at the world’s largest iPhone factory, located in central China, as authorities scramble to contain a Covid-19 outbreak and keep production up ahead of the Christmas season.
Videos released by workers at the factory in Zhengzhou city, Henan province, show workers clashing with police officers armed with batons and dressed in white protective suits. The footage shows police officers beating workers, some of whom appear to be bleeding from the head and others who are limping.
China’s zero-tolerance policy for Covid-19 poses a challenge to the management of the factory of Taiwanese group Foxconn, which employs more than 200,000 workers in Zhengzhou’s suburbs during a normal period.
The company confirmed in a statement that there had been violent clashes on the property.
Graphic warning. Worker at #foxconn🇧🇷 #zhengzhou city, #CCPChina badly beaten up by the police after they tried to escape from the factory. See my previous tweets for background. pic.twitter.com/6VFBS7RCdd
– Jennifer Zeng (@jenniferzeng97) November 23, 2022
The group, which assembles electronic products for many international brands, including US-based Apple, said workers had complained about wage issues and poor working conditions.
The factory has seen an increase in covid-19 cases in recent weeks, imposing a ‘closed circuit’ work system. This means that employees are not allowed to leave the premises.
Problems at the factory earlier this month led Apple to revise delivery dates for the latest-generation iPhone 14 and issue a rare warning to investors about delays.
Workers at the Foxconn plant said the protests began after the company refused to pay promised bonuses. The videos show workers overturning carts, entering factory offices and vandalizing a booth where covid-19 detection tests are being conducted.
Foxconn is working with the Henan provincial government, where the factory is located, to replenish assembly lines with new workers after a COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019 led to a mass exodus of workers last month.
Local authorities were tasked with helping recruit workers for the factory, which accounted for 60% of exports. To keep production up, Foxconn also offered bonuses to the remaining employees.
Source: DN
