Video: Workers Revolt at World's Biggest iPhone Factory, Clash Violently with Police
In central China, at the world’s largest facility for iPhone assembly, protests related to pay issues broke out and quickly turned ugly. Videos showed workers clashing with police and being beaten by security.
Foxconn Technology Group runs a plant in Zhengzhou, China, that puts together a large bulk of Apple’s iPhones, particularly the latest iPhone 14, The Wall Street Journal reported.
But the facility has also been dealing with work issues stemming from strict COVID restrictions and trying to get more workers to keep production going.
With many employees having to be quarantined due to COVID, Foxconn began offering bonuses.
News somehow spread among workers that these bonuses were delayed and so protests quickly broke out, the Journal reported.
There are reportedly thousands of workers for Foxconn who live in dormitory-style housing close by and that’s where the protests began.
From there, videos circulated on social media showing hundreds of protesting workers marching in the area in protest.
“They changed the contract so that we could not get the subsidy as they had promised. They quarantine us but don’t provide food … If they do not address our needs, we will keep fighting,” one worker said while videoing some of the protests, the BBC reported.
“Hundreds of workers joined protests at Foxconn’s flagship iPhone plant in China, with some men smashing surveillance cameras and windows, footage uploaded on social media showed,” Reuters tweeted.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic violence that some viewers may find disturbing.
Hundreds of workers joined protests at Foxconn’s flagship iPhone plant in China, with some men smashing surveillance cameras and windows, footage uploaded on social media showed https://t.co/tkhDAeWDc3 pic.twitter.com/Tiv38Bndbx
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 23, 2022
“A Foxconn worker shared live footage from the ongoing protest at the Zhengzhou factory. He said workers had marched out from their dorms this morning to demand compensation, now they are facing riot police,” tweeted Viola Zhou, a tech reporter tweeted.
A Foxconn worker shared live footage from the ongoing protest at the Zhengzhou factory. He said workers had marched out from their dorms this morning to demand compensation, now they are facing riot police. pic.twitter.com/6QypLaekA5
— Viola Zhou (@violazhouyi) November 23, 2022
Another video showed what is reported to be a worker, surrounded by security, and then beaten.
WARNING: The following video contains graphic violence that some viewers may find disturbing.
A worker who resisted is said to be surrounded by security guards at the Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou (China’s iPhone factory).#TheGreatTranslationMovement pic.twitter.com/lBbRuJQEoS
— The Great Translation Movement 大翻译运动官方推号 (@TGTM_Official) November 23, 2022
There were other reports as well that workers were unhappy about the living situations and concerned with COVID, as well as the payment issue.
Reuters reported that some workers were concerned about having to share dorms with others who had COVID.
“At #Foxconn, #Zhengzhou City, #CCPChina, newly recruited workers break out of the #iPhone city after they found they have to live and work together with veterans who might have #Covid. The terms of their contracts were not the same as they were promised, social media post says,” tweeted author Jennifer Zeng.
At #Foxconn, #Zhengzhou City, #CCPChina, newly recruited workers break out of the #iPhone city after they found they have to live and work together with veterans who might have #Covid. The terms of their contracts were not the same as they were promised, social media post says. pic.twitter.com/QTtBpLpVUD
— Jennifer Zeng 曾錚 (@jenniferzeng97) November 23, 2022
Meanwhile, in response to these clashes, Foxconn said in a statement that contracts would be honored and that workers would be paid, the BBC reported.
Foxconn also noted that the concerns over workers having to share living space with those infected with COVID were false rumors, BBC added.
However, Apple has not commented on the situation, despite these protests affecting the production of iPhones, the Journal reported.
Earlier in November, Apple warned that the supply of the latest iPhone model would be slower due to issues at the Zhengzhou facility.
“The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity,” Apple reported.
But with these further issues at Foxconn, this supply issue could become worse, particularly since it was expected that the facility in central China would be assembling about 80 percent of the iPhone 14 model, the Journal reported.
It just has yet to be seen just how much the protests and clashes at the Zhengzhou plant might snarl Apple’s supply of the new iPhone model.
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