- Thursday, May 02, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
A FOXCONN iPhone factory in India, which recently made the headlines for a mass food-poisoning incident, is set to extend a week-long closure by three more days, a senior official in the southern state of Tamil Nadu where the outlet is located, told Reuters.
The factory, which is located near state capital Chennai, was due to resume some operations on Monday (27) but is now likely to restart with 1,000 workers on Thursday (30), the official added. He also told the news outlet that the authorities had carried out inspections of the workers’ hostels. The factory employs around 17,000 workers.
ALSO READ: Food poisoning at Foxconn’s India unit triggers protest
Protests took place last week after more than 250 women workers at the plant who live in one of the hostels had to be treated for food poisoning. The police stepped in and also rounded up some of the protesters who were released later.
Apple puts supplier Wistron on notice after Indian factory violence
The incident brought into discussion the workers’ living conditions. Most of the workers at the plant are women who live in hostels near the manufacturing unit.
The Taiwanese contract manufacturer for Apple Inc and other big tech names and 11 of its contractors including those who provide food and living facilities were called for a meeting, the official told Reuters on the condition of anonymity since he is not authorised to speak on the issue.
The Tamil Nadu government asked Foxconn to review services provided to the workers, including power back-up at the hostels, food and water, the official said, adding the directorate of industrial safety and health also advised providing recreational facilities such as television, a library and indoor games.
According to another source in the state government, Foxconn told the state’s bureaucrats that it had “ramped up production too quickly” and would gradually upgrade the workers’ facilities before they become fully operational.
The impact of the plant’s closure on Apple, which makes iPhone 12 models and has started trial production of the iPhone 13, is likely to be minimal, analysts said.
However, the factory has a strategic value in the long term as Apple is making efforts to reduce its reliance on China’s supply chain amid trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.
The Foxconn incident is the second such incident involving an Apple supplier factory in India in a year. In December last year, thousands of contract workers at a factory owned by Taiwan’s Wistron Corp vandalised equipment and vehicles over alleged non-payment of salaries, resulting in damages estimated at $60 million (44.6 million).
Foxconn itself was in news in July 2010 when 250 workers were hospitalised in an incident which was suspected to be linked to spraying of pesticide. It had suspended operations on that occasion as well.
