Apple supplier apologises for hiring blunder at Covid-hit plant in China
Foxconn says it is working with staff to resolve disputes a day after the factory was hit by massive protests, sparked by claims of overdue pay and frustration over severe Covid-19 restrictions.
(AFP Archive)
Apple’s major
supplier Foxconn has said a “technical error”
occurred when hiring new recruits at a Covid-hit iPhone factory
in China and apologised to workers after the company was rocked
by fresh labour unrest.
“Our team has been looking into the matter and discovered a technical error occurred during the onboarding process,” Foxconn said in a statement on Thursday, referring to the hiring of new workers.
“We apologize for an input error in the computer system and guarantee that the actual pay is the same as agreed and the official recruitment posters.” It did not elaborate on the error.
Men smashed surveillance cameras and clashed with security
personnel as hundreds of workers protested at the world’s
biggest iPhone plant in Zhengzhou city on Wednesday.
Workers said in videos circulated on social media that they
had been informed that Foxconn intended to delay bonus payments.
Some workers also complained they were forced to share
dormitories with colleagues who had tested positive for Covid.
The factory has been rocked by worker unrest and discontent
since October.
READ MORE: Massive protests erupt at world’s biggest iPhone factory in China
Resolving the dispute
The latest unrest has exposed communication problems and mistrust of Foxconn management among some staff, with some workers accusing the company of not acting effectively to curb the spread of Covid and then misleading them over wages.
The protests had died down by Thursday and the company was communicating with employees engaged in smaller protests, a Foxconn source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.
The person said the company had reached “initial agreements” with employees to resolve the dispute and production at the plant continued on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Zhengzhou is conducting mass Covid testing as daily cases across China reach record highs, with cities nationwide imposing lockdowns and other curbs.
Home to over 200,000 workers, Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant has
dormitories, restaurants, basketball courts and a football pitch
across its sprawling roughly 1.4 million square metre facility.
The factory makes Apple devices including the
iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, and accounts for 70 percent of iPhone
shipments globally.
Apple said it had staff at the factory and was “working
closely with Foxconn to ensure their employees’ concerns are
addressed”.
READ MORE: Apple: Supplies hurt by China’s Covid curbs, to produce 3M fewer iPhone 14
Source: Reuters
Foxconn says it is working with staff to resolve disputes a day after the factory was hit by massive protests, sparked by claims of overdue pay and frustration over severe Covid-19 restrictions.
(AFP Archive)
Apple’s major
supplier Foxconn has said a “technical error”
occurred when hiring new recruits at a Covid-hit iPhone factory
in China and apologised to workers after the company was rocked
by fresh labour unrest.
“Our team has been looking into the matter and discovered a technical error occurred during the onboarding process,” Foxconn said in a statement on Thursday, referring to the hiring of new workers.
“We apologize for an input error in the computer system and guarantee that the actual pay is the same as agreed and the official recruitment posters.” It did not elaborate on the error.
Men smashed surveillance cameras and clashed with security
personnel as hundreds of workers protested at the world’s
biggest iPhone plant in Zhengzhou city on Wednesday.
Workers said in videos circulated on social media that they
had been informed that Foxconn intended to delay bonus payments.
Some workers also complained they were forced to share
dormitories with colleagues who had tested positive for Covid.
The factory has been rocked by worker unrest and discontent
since October.
READ MORE: Massive protests erupt at world’s biggest iPhone factory in China
Resolving the dispute
The latest unrest has exposed communication problems and mistrust of Foxconn management among some staff, with some workers accusing the company of not acting effectively to curb the spread of Covid and then misleading them over wages.
The protests had died down by Thursday and the company was communicating with employees engaged in smaller protests, a Foxconn source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.
The person said the company had reached “initial agreements” with employees to resolve the dispute and production at the plant continued on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Zhengzhou is conducting mass Covid testing as daily cases across China reach record highs, with cities nationwide imposing lockdowns and other curbs.
Home to over 200,000 workers, Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant has
dormitories, restaurants, basketball courts and a football pitch
across its sprawling roughly 1.4 million square metre facility.
The factory makes Apple devices including the
iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, and accounts for 70 percent of iPhone
shipments globally.
Apple said it had staff at the factory and was “working
closely with Foxconn to ensure their employees’ concerns are
addressed”.
READ MORE: Apple: Supplies hurt by China’s Covid curbs, to produce 3M fewer iPhone 14
Source: Reuters
Denial of responsibility! Techno Blender is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.