Hundreds riot at Foxconn iPhone plant over terrible conditions

Posted:
in iPhone edited November 2022
Workers rioting at Foxconn's main iPhone factory in Zhengzhou have clashed with police as windows and surveillance cameras have been smashed.




Even as Foxconn is seeking to hire 100,000 more workers -- and the Chinese authorities are asking ex-military people to sign up -- staff have already been fleeing the factory. Now a riot broke out on Wednesday, with reports of hundreds of workers complaining about pay and conditions.

According to Reuters, these rare scenes of public dissent in China were finally triggered by an alleged plan to delay bonus payments.

More riots broken out at Foxconn factory in communist #china's Zhengzhou. Violence clashes escalated by both CCP & chinese rioters, tear gas grenades were fired as chinese rioters returned hostiles w/ fire distinguisher. pic.twitter.com/5OU7dXAiiE

-- Northrop Gundam (@GundamNorthrop)


Footage of the riots has been circulating online, though Reuters reports that most has been deleted from the Chinese social media site Kuaishou.

The various videos reportedly show workers complaining about not getting meals while in COVID lockdown. They also say that China and Foxconn's "closed-loop production" health measures -- where staff live and work on-site -- do not work.

"It's now evident that closed-loop production in Foxconn only helps in preventing COVID from spreading to the city," Aiden Chau of China Labour Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based advocacy group, told Reuters in an email. "[It] does nothing (if not make it even worse) for the workers in the factory."

In a statement to Reuters, Foxconn denied claims of altering contracts to prevent bonus payments, calling them "untrue."

"Regarding any violence, the company will continue to communicate with employees and the government," added the spokesperson, "to prevent similar incidents from happening again."

Apple has not yet commented on the rioting.

This is not the first riot that has been seen at a factory wholly or mostly producing Apple products. In May, workers at a plant in Shanghai that makes the MacBook Pro rioted over the coronavirus measures.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    NYC362NYC362 Posts: 102member
    No matter what it takes, Apple and Foxconn need to move as much production out of China as possible.  
    AniMilljas99williamhblastdoorthtelijahgAnilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 16
    jamnapjamnap Posts: 102member
    Very interesting how Tim Cook selects specific issues to voice his displeasure/outrage, but ignores issues like this. I think this is called hypocrisy.  Come on Cook, why are you silent when it comes to the CCP?
    elijahggatorguygrandact73
  • Reply 3 of 16
    MadbumMadbum Posts: 536member
    China did this to themselves

    please be accurate, this has nothing to do with Taiwan owned Foxconn or Apple. They are both following Chinese communists Covid rules.

    these Foxconn workers can be considered the fat cats  of China as they are the highest paid factory workers. So  they feel like they can speak up against the government more than others

    however, they are also fearing Covid, which is a cold in test of the world now but Chinese government still portrays it as the bubonic plague so in the end, Chinese communists have themselves to thank for this

    again, please be clear, this is not Foxconn or Apple
    watto_cobraFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 4 of 16
    MadbumMadbum Posts: 536member
    jamnap said:
    Very interesting how Tim Cook selects specific issues to voice his displeasure/outrage, but ignores issues like this. I think this is called hypocrisy.  Come on Cook, why are you silent when it comes to the CCP?
    What would he say? This is their Covid policy. No different than some states keeping’s schools closed for month than necessary causing all sorts of low test scores and mental issues in young kids 

    or the forever work at home policies citing Covid affecting company productivity.

    what is cook going to say about another countries Covid policy?
    watto_cobraFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 5 of 16
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    Madbum said:
    China did this to themselves

    please be accurate, this has nothing to do with Taiwan owned Foxconn or Apple. They are both following Chinese communists Covid rules.

    these Foxconn workers can be considered the fat cats  of China as they are the highest paid factory workers. So  they feel like they can speak up against the government more than others

    however, they are also fearing Covid, which is a cold in test of the world now but Chinese government still portrays it as the bubonic plague so in the end, Chinese communists have themselves to thank for this

    again, please be clear, this is not Foxconn or Apple
    You can be as clear as you want but this is all about tying Apple to this and painting it as a slave rebellion. That’s what gets clicks.
    jas99Madbumravnorodomthtwatto_cobraFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 6 of 16
    Apple facing wage revolts by employees connected to the making and selling of Apple products and not just in China. Never mind, Apple senior executives continue to be very well paid even if the workers get minimal share of the profits. 
    elijahg
  • Reply 7 of 16
    MadbumMadbum Posts: 536member
    Hedware said:
    Apple facing wage revolts by employees connected to the making and selling of Apple products and not just in China. Never mind, Apple senior executives continue to be very well paid even if the workers get minimal share of the profits. 
    Wage revolts when they are already highest paid factory workers in China… you do know that right?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 16
    tyler82tyler82 Posts: 1,112member
    Fight The Power ✊🏻
  • Reply 9 of 16
    ronnronn Posts: 687member
    Foxconn is a shitty company. The riot happened because they constantly mistreat workers already facing draconian measures from the CCP. Food shortages, being held prisoner and then delaying bonuses (wouldn't surprise me if the workers never get those promised bonuses) Guess everyone forgot about the Foxconn riot in India due to their shortchanging/cheating workers there.
    Fred257FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 10 of 16
    MadbumMadbum Posts: 536member
    ronn said:
    Foxconn is a shitty company. The riot happened because they constantly mistreat workers already facing draconian measures from the CCP. Food shortages, being held prisoner and then delaying bonuses (wouldn't surprise me if the workers never get those promised bonuses) Guess everyone forgot about the Foxconn riot in India due to their shortchanging/cheating workers there.
    Do you do research or you just say things out of your butt? Foxconn is owned by Democratic Taiwan and pays the highest wages of any factory in China. Higher wages than say the factory where the shoe you are wearing now is made by about 10x.

    This is a off books Weibo hit by the CCP so they can deny they are involved. No different than all those fake “Tesla brake malfunctions” that has been debunked

    In China, Foxconn from  Taiwan is one of the good guys 
    lolliverwatto_cobraFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 11 of 16
    ronnronn Posts: 687member
    Madbum said:
    ronn said:
    Foxconn is a shitty company. The riot happened because they constantly mistreat workers already facing draconian measures from the CCP. Food shortages, being held prisoner and then delaying bonuses (wouldn't surprise me if the workers never get those promised bonuses) Guess everyone forgot about the Foxconn riot in India due to their shortchanging/cheating workers there.
    Do you do research or you just say things out of your butt? Foxconn is owned by Democratic Taiwan and pays the highest wages of any factory in China. Higher wages than say the factory where the shoe you are wearing now is made by about 10x.

    This is a off books Weibo hit by the CCP so they can deny they are involved. No different than all those fake “Tesla brake malfunctions” that has been debunked

    In China, Foxconn from  Taiwan is one of the good guys 
    Higher wages means shit when you're held prisoner with co-workers that have COVID. It means shit when you're scrounging for food. It means shit when your promised bonus is going to be delayed (and you believe possibly never will materialize). This is par for the course at Foxconn prisons facilities. From suicide nets in the past to frequent uprisings/riots now. They'll simply deflect responsibility unto others. Contractors. Recruiters. The CCP (which they work hand-in-hand with). 
    Fred257neoncat
  • Reply 12 of 16
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,935member
    How do you know behind the door whether PRC is not involved in instrumenting such riot against foreign company ?
    FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 13 of 16
    Madbum said:
    ronn said:
    Foxconn is a shitty company. The riot happened because they constantly mistreat workers already facing draconian measures from the CCP. Food shortages, being held prisoner and then delaying bonuses (wouldn't surprise me if the workers never get those promised bonuses) Guess everyone forgot about the Foxconn riot in India due to their shortchanging/cheating workers there.
    Do you do research or you just say things out of your butt? Foxconn is owned by Democratic Taiwan and pays the highest wages of any factory in China. Higher wages than say the factory where the shoe you are wearing now is made by about 10x.

    This is a off books Weibo hit by the CCP so they can deny they are involved. No different than all those fake “Tesla brake malfunctions” that has been debunked

    In China, Foxconn from  Taiwan is one of the good guys 
    Thank you for your service, comrade! 
    ronn
  • Reply 14 of 16
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,415member
    Meanwhile no to Americans in a union :smile: 
    ronnFileMakerFeller
  • Reply 15 of 16
    Madbum said:
    Hedware said:
    Apple facing wage revolts by employees connected to the making and selling of Apple products and not just in China. Never mind, Apple senior executives continue to be very well paid even if the workers get minimal share of the profits. 
    Wage revolts when they are already highest paid factory workers in China… you do know that right?
    Wage rates are relative. Besides there’s complaints about working conditions as well.

    Give the source for the ‘highest paid factory workers in China’ saying. It keeps being said without actual evidence attached to it.
    gatorguyronn
  • Reply 16 of 16
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,649member
    I'll agree with others who say that Apple is not directly responsible. But it doesn't mean they have entirely clean hands either.

    They're passionately aggressive about paying the lowest possible cost for every component, every labor assembly and every marketing op. The common theme is they are even more aggressive than other companies when it comes to negotiating. Why would anybody be surprised if Foxconn can't pay bonuses and good wages with an unending pressure from Apple to be ever cheaper. 

    I think  Apple would be happy if Foxconn makes no profit at all from them and just breaks even. Make their profits from some other company right? 
    edited November 2022 muthuk_vanalingamFileMakerFeller
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