Chinese iPhone factory workers beaten by police in coronavirus riot

Foxconn Technology Group, a company that assembles iPhones in China, has issued an apology after an employee protested being beaten by police outside the factory.

They also said they would pay 10,000 yuan ($1,867) to workers who decided to quit.

Workers at a factory in Zhengzhou revolted this week after complaining that Foxconn had changed wage terms to attract workers to jobs. They also claimed Foxconn was forced to share a dormitory with his co-worker who tested positive for COVID-19.

Anxiety has also spilled over into ordinary Chinese citizens, with many unhappy with the ruling Communist Party’s continued push for a “zero coronavirus” strategy, resulting in weeks or even months of Snap lockdowns that can last for months occur frequently.

The ruling party recently pledged to reduce disruption by shortening quarantines, but continues to attempt to isolate all cases of the virus.

On Thursday, people in Zhengzhou’s eight districts, with a total of 6.6 million residents, were told to stay home for five days. Daily mass testing was ordered because of the “war on extermination” against the virus.

Meanwhile, Apple Inc. has warned that fewer devices will be shipped internationally in the coming weeks. Already, delays have been reported for the new iPhone 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max. CNN reported last week that some US businesses were told they wouldn’t get their calls until the beginning of the year.

In Zhengzhou, many of Foxconn’s new employees traveled long distances to get jobs at factories after Foxconn offered higher wages, the Associated Press reported.

To attract new workers, Foxconn offered 25,000 yuan ($4,663) for two months of labor, employees said. This is almost 50% higher than what news reports say is the usual top wage.

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However, Bloomberg reports that workers at the factory have found that they must stay on the job until March 2023 to receive the higher wages Foxconn has promised.

The Taiwanese company that assembles electronics for Apple and other brands has blamed this week’s woes on technical glitches in its computer systems. They promised to pay the employee a guarantee fee.

“We apologize for any input errors in our computer system and can assure you that the actual salary is the same as agreed and the official recruitment poster,” the company statement said. “We will do our best to proactively resolve employee concerns and reasonable requests,” he said.

Videos posted on social media this week showed violent disturbances outside a factory, with police in white hazmat suits beating and kicking workers during protests on Tuesday and Wednesday. was seen hanging. Workers were seen destroying surveillance cameras, destroying barricades, and fighting guards.

The company is trying to rebuild its workforce last month following a strike by employees suspected of being in unsafe conditions.

Thousands of Foxconn employees left the factory in October after being put into a partial COVID lockdown earlier in the month. It then escalated to a “closed-loop” lockdown of the company’s Zhengzhou campus by mid-October. Closed-loop lockdowns require workers to live on-site to keep production running and limit the risk of COVID-19.

The lockdown has created a crisis with workers getting caught on video hopping fences and hitchhiking with passing truckers and motorists to escape quarantine.

Media reports at the time said hundreds of thousands of Foxconn workers were trapped inside the factory, and there was no clear indication of the number of active COVID-19 cases on campus.

Foxconn said factories had returned to normal operations by Wednesday night, but it is becoming increasingly clear that China’s hardline COVID strategy is disrupting the global economy and affecting supply chains around the world. is becoming

“We have members of the Apple team at our supplier Foxconn’s Zhengzhou facility,” Apple said in a statement, without elaborating on the supply delay. “We have reviewed the situation and are working closely with Foxconn to ensure that employee concerns are addressed.”

Earlier this month, Counterpoint analyst Ivan Lam told CNN that between 10% and 30% of iPhone 14 production could be affected by the Zhengzhou factory disruption. He estimated that the Zhengzhou campus accounts for up to 85% of all iPhone production.

— Using files from The Associated Press, Reuters, and Global News’ Catherine Manny

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