BEIJING —
Violent protests have broken out around Foxconn’s vast iPhone factory in
central China, as workers clashed with security personnel over pay and living
conditions at the plant.
اضافة اعلان
In videos shared
with AFP or circulated on social media, hundreds of workers can be seen
marching on a road and confronted by riot police as well as people wearing
hazmat suits.
Taiwanese tech
giant Foxconn on Wednesday confirmed the unrest.
Footage shared
with AFP and captured by a factory worker showed one person lying inert on the
ground next to a man in a blood-spattered jacket having his head bound in an
apparent effort to staunch a wound.
Another clip
shows dozens of hazmat-clad personnel wielding batons and chasing employees,
one of whom is knocked to the ground before appearing to be kicked in the head.
The worker who
shared the videos estimated that around 20 people were injured in the clashes,
some of whom were taken to hospital. He requested anonymity to protect his
safety.
The
confrontations broke out after employees who signed an agreement with the
factory to work at least 30 days in return for a one-time payment of 3,000 yuan
($420) suddenly saw the figure slashed to just 30 yuan, he told AFP.
Many workers were
also incensed by “chaotic” living conditions, he said, adding that he “had not
received any food” from the company since Tuesday.
Some
COVID-negative staff had also been ordered to work alongside colleagues who
once tested positive but were not quarantined, the worker said.
Foxconn statement
Foxconn said workers had complained about pay and conditions at the
plant but denied it had housed new recruits with COVID-positive staff at the
Zhengzhou factory, the world’s largest producer of iPhones.
“Regarding any
violence, the company will continue to communicate with employees and the
government to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” the firm said in
a statement.
Apple did not
respond to requests for comment.
China’s
unrelenting zero-COVID policy has caused fatigue and resentment among swaths of
the population, some of whom have been locked down for weeks at factories and
universities or left unable to travel freely.
Hotbed of unrest
Foxconn, also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, is
the world’s biggest contract electronics manufacturer, assembling gadgets for
many international brands.
The tech giant,
Apple’s principal subcontractor, recently saw a surge in COVID-19 cases at its
Zhengzhou site, leading the company to shut the vast complex to keep the virus
in check.
The huge facility
of about 200,000 workers — dubbed “iPhone City” — has since been operating in a
“closed loop” bubble.
Footage emerged
this month of panicking workers fleeing the site on foot in the wake of
allegations of poor conditions at the facility.
Multiple
employees later recounted to AFP scenes of chaos and disorganization at the
complex of workshops and dormitories.
The firm has
offered large bonuses and other incentives for employees who stayed at the
plant as the local government bussed in fresh laborers in a bid to keep it
afloat.
Apple this month
acknowledged the lockdown had “temporarily impacted” production ahead of the holiday
season at the Zhengzhou factory, the Taiwanese company’s crown jewel that
churns out iPhones in quantities not seen anywhere else.
Foxconn is
China’s biggest private sector employer, with more than a million people
working across the country in about 30 factories and research institutes.
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