Apple factory in China does not work due to mass strike
2022.11.22 23:38
Apple factory in China does not work due to mass strike
Budrigannews.com – Hundreds of Apple Inc. employeesAfter nearly a month of strict restrictions meant to stop a Covid outbreak,’s main iPhone-making plant in China clashed with security personnel.
Foxconn Technology Co. Ltd. employees (TW:)According to videos sent by a witness to portions of the protest, plant streamed out of dormitories in the early hours of Wednesday, jostling and pushing past the white-clad guards they vastly outnumbered. In another clip, a person lying on the ground was struck with sticks by a group of white-suited individuals.The crowd yelled, “Fight, fight!”as a large number of people pushed past barriers. At one point, a group of people surrounded a police car that was occupied and started rocking the car while screaming incoherently.
According to the witness, who requested anonymity out of fear of repercussions, the protest began overnight over unpaid wages and fears of infection spread.The individual added that several workers were injured and that anti-riot police arrived on the scene on Wednesday to restore order.
In one video, angry workers gathered around a depressed manager in a conference room to complain and ask about their Covid test results.When the meeting took place was not clear.
A male worker stated, “I’m really scared about this place, we could all be Covid positive now.”Another individual stated, “You are sending us to death.”
A representative for Foxconn declined to discuss the incident.
Since the lockdown began in October, there have been sporadic incidents of violence at the plant in Zhengzhou’s center.Many of the more than 200,000 employees at “iPhone City” have been forced to live in isolation, eat sparsely, and scrounge for medicine.Last month, many of them eventually fled the plant on foot.In recent weeks, Foxconn and the local government appeared to have stabilized the situation, promising unusually high wages and improved working conditions to entice new hires.
Protests on Wednesday morning seem to indicate that this is no longer the case.It demonstrates how Xi Jinping’s Covid Zero policy, which relies on rapid lockdowns to eradicate the disease wherever it occurs, is putting more and more pressure on the economy and causing havoc throughout the global supply chain. Beijing recently issued new instructions directing officials to use more targeted Covid controls and minimize disruption, but rising outbreaks in major cities have forced local authorities to revert to strict controls.
China has seen sporadic outbreaks of violence as a result of Covid restrictions.At Quanta Computer Inc.’s Shanghai factory in May, hundreds of workers clashed with security after being shut out of the outside world for months. Meanwhile, protests have started in locked-down areas of Guangdong, the southern manufacturing hub.
The situation with Foxconn serves as yet another reminder of the dangers that Apple faces if it relies on a massive Chinese production facility at a time when policy is erratic and trade relations are uncertain.
Apple’s most important production takes place in Zhengzhou, which also produces the vast majority of the most expensive iPhone 14 Pro units and an estimated four out of every five handsets from the most recent generation.This month, just in time for the busiest shopping season of the holiday season, Apple issued a warning that shipments of its newest premium iPhones will be lower than anticipated.
Since its inception, the sprawling compound has operated within a “closed loop,” also known as a self-contained bubble that restricts communication with the outside world.That is maintaining some production.Both Apple and Foxconn have stated that they are working to hire new employees and get full production back up and running as soon as possible.
