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According to a Foxconn source familiar with the situation, around 20,000 workers from Apple supplier Foxconn’s Zhengzhou facility in China have gone. The majority of these workers were new hires who were not yet employed on the manufacturing line.
The individual claimed that the departures would make it more difficult for the business to meet its prior goal of restarting full production by the end of November after employee discontent rocked operations at the biggest iPhone facility in the world.
Foxconn decided not to comment.
The Taiwanese company gave employees who wanted to quit and leave the chaotic workplace 10,000 yuan ($1,396) on Thursday, prompting the worker departures.
It had expressed regret for making a pay-related “technical error” while hiring new hires, which employees claim contributed to protests that involved physical altercations with security guards.
Videos shared on Chinese social media on Friday showed throngs and extended lines of workers waiting for buses while carrying a lot of stuff. One of the posters said, “Go home now.”
Workers at the Zhengzhou facility report that claims of unpaid wages and annoyance over the rigorous COVID-19 limitations are what caused the few instances of open dissent that started on Wednesday.
A second Foxconn source with knowledge of the situation claimed that several recent hires had departed the campus, though she did not specify how many. The person said that because the new workers still needed to complete training before working online, the departures had no effect on current production.
The unrest occurs as China experiences record levels of COVID-19 infections and struggles with an increasing number of lockdowns that have fueled frustration among residents all over the nation. However, it has also revealed issues with communication and some staff members’ mistrust of Foxconn management.
Foxconn started a hiring drive earlier this month with the promise of bonuses and greater pay after having to take action in October to stop the spread of COVID-19. The corporation was forced to isolate several employees due to the curbs, and the conditions at the mill led some workers to leave.
