The world’s largest iPhone factory, located in central China, offered 10,000 yuan (1,340 euros) on Thursday to newly hired employees who resign, after protests that ended in violent clashes with police.
The management of the Foxconn group, which assembles electronic products for many international brands, including the US Apple, proposed the pay plan to the workers, asking them to return to their dormitories, according to the British newspaper Financial Times.
The measure is intended to put an end to the protests that culminated in violent clashes with security agents. The workers threw metal bars at police officers and got into fights, after the company imposed a ‘closed circuit’ work regime, prohibiting leaving the premises and reviewing wage conditions.
The payment is intended to compensate newly hired workers for travel expenses to the factory and hours worked.
Those who accept the deal will receive 8,000 yuan upon resigning. The remaining 2,000 yuan will be paid after they go home on the buses.
Violent protests broke out after workers said the company had backtracked on its promise to pay bonuses to newly hired employees.
Mindful workers at China’s main iPhone manufacturing plant clash with security personnel amid tensions due to harsh restrictions imposed by a recent Covid-19 outbreak https://t.co/5Rkk7rMZnT pic.twitter.com/3DHiB904Ya
-THE WORLD (@elmundoes) November 23, 2022
Foxconn offered higher wages to entice workers after a worker exodus at the end of the month caused by facility closures in the wake of a Covid-19 outbreak.
The employees, who traveled long distances to work at the plant, complained that the company later changed payment terms.
The original advertisement promised 25,000 yuan (about 3,400 euros) for two months of work, but after reaching the company, employees were told they would have to work two more months at lower wages to receive that amount.
Foxconn apologized for the “miscommunication” and promised it would honor its commitments.
“Our team found that a technical error occurred during the employee onboarding process,” he justified. “We apologize for the error in the computer system and we guarantee that the payment will be made in accordance with the conditions established in the recruitment announcements,” she added.
In a statement, Apple said it was working with Foxconn to “ensure that employee concerns are addressed.”
However, Foxconn’s offer could add further pressure to labor shortages at the Zhengzhou factory following a mass exodus of workers last month.
Analysts estimate that about 60% of all iPhones are produced at the Zhengzhou factory, which employs more than 200,000 workers.
Problems at the facility have already prompted Apple to revise delivery dates for the latest-generation iPhone 14s and issue a rare warning to investors about the delays.
Source: TSF
