Angry protests at giant iPhone factory in Zhengzhou | Tech News

Protests have erupted at the world's biggest I Phone factory in the Zhengzhou city of China , according to footage circulated widely online Videos show hundreds of workers marching, with some confronted by people in hazmat suits and riot police. Police beat workers protesting over a pay dispute at the biggest factory for Apple’s I Phone, whose new model is delayed by controls imposed as China tries to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases. Foxconn, the biggest contract assembler of smartphones and other electronics, is struggling to fill orders for the I Phone 14 after thousands of employees walked away from the factory in the central city of Zhengzhou last month following complaints about unsafe working conditions. China’s status as an export powerhouse is based on factories such as Foxconn’s that assemble the world’s consumer electronics, toys and other goods. The ruling Communist Party is trying to contain the latest wave of outbreaks without shutting down factories and the rest of its economy as it did in early 2020. Its tactics include “closed-loop management,” under which workers live in their factories with no outside contact. Those livestreaming the protests said workers were beaten by police. Manufacturer Foxconn said it would work with staff and local government to prevent further violence. In its statement, the firm said some workers had doubts about pay but that the firm would fulfil pay based on contracts. It also described as "patently untrue" rumours that new recruits were being asked to share dormitories with workers who were Covid-positive. Dormitories were disinfected and checked by local officials before new people moved in, Foxconn said. One employee who recently started working at the Zhengzhou plant also told the BBC, workers were protesting because Foxconn had "changed the contract they promised". He said some newly recruited workers feared getting Covid from staff who had been there during the earlier outbreak. "Those workers who are protesting are wanting to get a subsidy and return home," the staff member said. There was a heavy police deployment to the plant on Wednesday morning, he said. Other livestreamed videos also showed crowds of armed police at the site. Another newly recruited employee told the BBC he visited the protest scene on Wednesday where he saw "one man with blood over his head lying on the ground". "I didn't know the exact reason why people are protesting but they are mixing us new workers with old workers who were [Covid] positive," he told the BBC. Foxconn, a Taiwanese firm, is Apple's main subcontractor and its Zhengzhou plant assembles more I Phones than anywhere else in the world. In late October many workers fled the plant amid rising Covid cases and allegations of poor treatment of staff. Their escape was captured on social media as they rode lorries back to their hometowns elsewhere in the central Chinese province. Shares of Apple fell 2.6% Monday after Bloomberg reported the company could see a production shortfall of nearly 6 million I Phone Pro models because of unrest at a Foxconn factory in China. Bloomberg, citing a source, said Apple and its contract manufacturer Foxconn expect to be able to make up that shortfall in 2023. Apple declined to comment on the report. The unrest at Foxconn comes amid protests in China against the nation’s zero-Covid policy. Cases of Covid-19 have surged in mainland China, prompting residential lockdowns and business closures in many major cities. Protests against the lockdowns have broken out across the country, including at the Foxconn iPhone assembly facility in Zhengzhou. Employees at Foxconn have protested food shortages, issues related to payments and how the company has handled Covid-19 outbreaks. Reuters said Wednesday that workers smashed cameras and windows during some of the protests. Foxconn said Wednesday that it will continue to communicate with employees and the government to prevent similar violent incidents from happening. It said it’s also continuing to communicate with employees about payment concerns and that it will “try its best to actively solve the concerns and reasonable demands of employees.” Analysts are also concerned about the recent manufacturing interruptions ahead of the holiday season. Counterpoint Research released guidance Monday saying delivery times for I Phone 14 Pro and Pro Max are significantly delayed. It said customers who ordered the phones last week could expect to wait 37 days for delivery, the longest wait time since the models launched. Apple’s regular I Phone 14 is still in stock. In a separate note Monday, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives predicted major I Phone shortages due to China’s “head scratching zero-Covid policy.” subscribe channel - https://www.youtube.com/@technologyvision1