Foxconn Factory Near Chennai To Remain Shut This Week Following Labour Unrest, Apple Smartphone Production Likely To Be Hit

A smartphone manufacturing plant operated by Foxconn, a Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer, near Chennai in Tamil Nadu will remain shut this week following an incidents of workers unrest, Reuters reported.

The temporary suspension of operations in Foxconn India unit is likely to hurt the production of Apple smartphones Apple had recently started trial production of its flagship iPhone 13 at the Chennai Foxconn plant. Apple already produces iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 at this facility through contract manufacturing while iPhone SE is produced at Wistron plant in Bengaluru

Last Friday, a section of women workforce in Foxconn began a protest accusing the company officials of lack of transparency in disclosing whereabouts and health conditions of their colleagues who were recovering in hospital after a bout of food poisoning.

According to local authorities, there was an outbreak of acute diarrhoeal disease (ADD) among the Foxconn employees staying in the International Maritime Academy at Pudhuchathiram village in Tiruvallur district, after they consumed hostel food on December 15.

Over 250 workers were treated as outpatients and later 159 of them were admitted in the hospital. There were no deaths. Of the 159 patients, 155 were discharged on Saturday. Four patients were responding well to the treatment and were out of danger, the release said.

Spooked by a fake video posted on social media last Friday stating that nine workers workers had died of food poisoning, nearly 2,000 women workers of the company blocked the Chennnai-Bengaluru National Highway causing a disruption in the vehicular traffic for several hours.

The local authorities and the company officials rubbished the rumours of any death and said that the workers were recovering well in the hospital.

In December 2020, workers employed at a factory of Wistron in Narasapura near Bengaluru ransacked the premises and damaged parked vehicles. Wistron, a Taiwanese contract electronics manufacturer, was engaged in the assembly of Apple iPhones and had commenced commercial operations few months earlier.