According to a Foxconn source familiar with the situation, more than 20,000 workers, the majority of recent hires who are not yet working on the assembly line, have departed Apple supplier Foxconns Zhengzhou factory in China.
It is important to note that the departure would make it more difficult for the business to meet its prior goal of resuming mass production by the end of November this year, particularly after worker upheaval interrupted operations at the biggest iPhone manufacturing in the world.
Since October, employee strife and unease have shaken the factory. However, the most recent unrest highlighted issues with staff engagement and leadership confidence, with several employees accusing Foxconn of failing to take meaningful measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Interestingly, Foxconn apologized to employees on Thursday i.e., 24th November, after the business was shaken by new labor unrest and claimed a technological error happened when hiring new hires in Zhengzhou.
This apology came a day after hundreds of workers protested at the Zhengzhou facility, smashing surveillance cameras and fighting with security guards.
Workers claimed in social media videos that they were told by Foxconn that their rewards and incentives would be delayed. Some employees also complained about being compelled to live in dorms with co-workers who had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Foxconn's confession represented an about-face from its claim that it had met its payment contracts the day before. Notably, the most significant demonstrations had subsided, and the corporation was interacting with workers staging smaller demonstrations.
The company declared that it would honor new hires' requests to quit and depart the factory premises and would compensate them with care assistance. According to the Foxconn source, each employee received USD 1,923 in subsidies.
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