Violent protests erupted at the largest iPhone manufacturing plant in China and the world, owned by Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn, where they lived clashes between workers and security personnel to ask for better wages and better living conditions in the factory.
But one of the demands of the protests would be that new employees be forced to share rooms with coronavirus patients. Foxconn rejected this version as “totally false”.
In the videos shared on social networks Weibo and Twitter that AFP checked, you can see hundreds of workers of this plant, located in Zhengzhou, demonstrating on a street in daylight. Some clashed with riot police and people in protective suits.
Foxconn confirmed the unrest on Wednesday.
A video shot at night showed a man with the bloodied face as someone off camera said, “They’re hitting people, hitting people. Do they have a conscience?”
Another video shot in the same place shows dozens of workers confronting policemen shouting “Let’s defend our rights!”, while another voice speaks of “smoke bombs” and “tear gas”.
AFP verified those videos in part thanks to geolocation that shows distinctive features, such as a building and barricades near workers’ homes in the factory area.
In a video shot during the day, several fire trucks surrounded by policemen in protective suits appear near the housing blocks as a voice is heard over a loudspeaker saying: “All workers, please return to your quarters, do not associate with a small minority of illegal elements.”
The zero covid policy
The Chinese “zero covid” policy. it is causing weariness and resentment of large segments of the population, with lockdowns that last for weeks in factories and universities or a ban on free travel.
The hashtag on Weibo “Revolt at Foxconn” He appeared to have been censored this Wednesday, but some messages referred to the fact that the protests are still ongoing.
Foxconn said workers had complained about the plant’s wages and conditions but denied it housed the new workers next to the personnel contaminated by covid-19 in Zhengzhou factory, the world’s largest iPhone maker.
“Regarding the violence, the company will continue to communicate with employees and the government to avoid a recurrence of similar incidents,” the Taiwanese tech giant said in a statement.
Foxconn, also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industryis the largest electronics manufacturer in the world and assemble gadgets for many international brands.
Increase in covid cases
The leading tech giant apple subcontractorrecently registered an increase in covid-19 cases in its Zhengzhou plant, which led the company to close the complex in an effort to get the virus under control.
The huge installation of some 200,000 workersNicknamed “iPhone City”, it has been operating in a “closed-loop” bubble ever since.
This month the images of fleeing workers on footin a panic, in the context of complaints about the poor living conditions of the structures.
Several employees told AFP scenes of chaos and disorganization in laboratories and bedrooms.
To compensate for the flight of workers, the company offered itself large bonuses and other incentives to employees who remain and the local government sent in new workers in an effort to keep the factory afloat.
Apple acknowledged this month that the shutdown had “temporarily struck” to the production of this factory, flagship of the Taiwanese company, which produces iPhones in large quantities.
Foxconn is China’s largest private sector employerwith more than one million people working across the country in about 30 factories and research institutes.
China is the latest major economy clinging to this strategy to fight covid-19, which consists of imposing massive confinements, testing and lengthy quarantines.
The author is an AFP journalist
ap
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.