Manufacturer promises improvement after unrest at China’s largest Apple factory

After protests at the world’s largest iPhone factory in China, owner Foxconn apologized and the company promised to improve.

Hundreds of employees have demonstrated in the past few days against poor working conditions and unfulfilled promises of bonuses.

Pictures show how the biggest protest was handled:

Foxconn said yesterday that the promised bonuses are always delivered and that the stories about the appalling conditions in the on-campus dorms are untrue.

Hundreds of workers at the factory rioted after workers said they had to sleep with people infected with the coronavirus. Also, an additional salary used to attract new employees after registering with the factory would be less lucrative than promised.

Foxconn apologized this morning. The company said there was a “technical error in the payment system” and that new employees would still receive the extra money promised.

Climb over fences

The Zhengzhou factory is by far the largest assembling Apple products. Last month, the factory was also in the news when hundreds of workers climbed the fence surrounding the complex to avoid quarantine due to the corona epidemic.

The local lockdown lasted for seven days at the time, but curfews have been in effect in millions of cities since today. This takes at least five days.

Zhengzhou has a population of over 10 million, but the curfew covers some counties, meaning that six million people are currently only allowed to leave their homes to go shopping or to go to the doctor.

A record 31,444 corona infections were reported in China today. This is the highest figure since the virus broke out in the Chinese province of Wuhan in late 2019.

Source: NOS