Violence at iPhone plant in China: Foxconn offers $1,400 to workers to leave

 

Apple plant protests in China: This photo taken from AFP video footage and posted on November 23, 2022 shows workers at Foxconn's iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, central China, clashing with riot police as well as people wearing hazmat suits Shows 

• Foxconn is reportedly offering $1,400 (₹1,14,354) to any employee who chooses to quit to appease disgruntled new hires 

Foxconn technology group is reportedly offering $1,400 (₹1,14,354) to any worker who appeases disgruntled new workers who played a central role in the violent protests that rocked the world's biggest iPhone factory on Wednesday. Select the option to leave. Workers clashed with security personnel at the plant over pay and living conditions. According to Bloomberg news agency, the amount will be paid in two instalments. 

The stimulus, which normally exceeds a month's salary for Foxconn's blue-collar workers, is likely to pacify some workers who have staged a rare violent protest over the economic and social toll of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Covid Zero strategy. was performed. 

Hundreds of workers clashed with security personnel as tensions escalated after nearly a month under tight restrictions intended to stem the Covid outbreak. 

According to the news agency, one of the reasons behind the unrest is that the workers found out that unless they stayed at the factory through March, they would not get the higher wages that were promised. 

The $1400 payment would compensate those unhappy with that ban for their trip back home. 

Footage uploaded to social media showed hundreds of workers joining a protest at Foxconn's flagship iPhone plant in China, some smashing surveillance cameras and breaking windows. Rare scenes of open dissent in China mark an escalation of unrest at a massive factory in the city of Zhengzhou that has become a symbol of a dangerous build-up in frustration with the country's overly-severe Covid rules. 

Several protesters on the livestream feed said the trigger for the protest appears to be plans to delay bonus payments. "Give us our pay!", according to footage from a video, as he was surrounded by people in full hazmat suits, some with batons. Other footage showed tear gas shells being fired and workers removing quarantine barriers. Some workers complained that they were forced to share dormitories with colleagues who had tested positive for Covid-19. 

Growing discontent among Foxconn's ranks threatens to further disrupt production at a plant that cranks out most of Apple's marquee devices for worldwide shipment. The US company has already warned it will ship fewer devices than anticipated during the crucial holiday quarter, while waiting times for iPhones have extended in some cases after Christmas. 

Hours after the Zhengzhou violence, the local government announced "mobility controls" in parts of the city until November 29—an effective lockdown that could hamper efforts to recruit new workers to replace those leaving.