Foxconn protest hits iPhone factory in China • The Register

Protests have erupted at Foxconn, the largest contract supplier of Apple’s iPhone, as workers raise grievances over wages and working conditions following new draconian COVID-19 measures.

Hundreds of protesters gathered at the company’s massive facility in Zhengzhou, China, smashing security cameras and windows, according to multiple reports and social media posts.

The protests began on Wednesday night local time, when some workers chanted “Give us our wages” and others complained that they had been locked in dormitories with colleagues who had tested positive for COVID-19. Staff have also complained of inadequate on-site catering during lockdown measures.

Foxconn denied the reports in a statement to the media. “Regarding any violence, the company will continue to communicate with employees and the government to prevent similar incidents from happening again,” the company said.

Manufacturing at the plant is said to have been unaffected by the riots as production remained “normal”.

A reporter went to twitter to document workers confronting riot police after marching out of their dormitories to demand compensation. They attempted to live stream Douyin and Kuaishou, but the feeds were immediately cut off. Workers were reportedly busted into the site believing the COVID outbreak was under control, but were instead placed in an eight-person quarantine room.

AFP news agency reported that a video clip showed dozens of workers at night shouting, “Defend our rights! Defend our rights!” as they confronted police officers.

The report also said police used tear gas and smoke bombs to break up the protest.

Earlier this week, the Financial Times reported that Foxconn had been working with Chinese authorities to recruit workers from the villages. They brought workers into the facility after staff left last month following a COVID-19 outbreak.

The Zhengzhou plant, which employed about 200,000 people before the COVID outbreak, has adopted a “closed-loop” approach, with employees living and working on-site, cut off from the outside world. Some former workers said thousands have since left the factory campus. The manufacturer was forced to offer bonuses and raise salaries to attract replacement workers.

According to other reports, local authorities had called on retired soldiers and government employees to replace fleeing workers at one of China’s largest manufacturing plants. ®