Foxconn, Apple’s major supplier, has admitted that a technical error occurred in its payment systems when hiring new recruits at a COVID-affected iPhone factory in China, and has apologized to workers after its massive iPhone manufacturing complex in central China was rocked by violent protests over pay and conditions.
“At present, the park is continuing to actively communicate with the employees affected by the wrong information, explaining that the salaries and bonuses of all employees are paid in accordance with company policies,” the company said in a statement.
Foxconn’s apology on Thursday contradicted its statement the day before that it had fulfilled its payment contracts.
The factory was locked down last month due to rising Covid cases, prompting some workers to break out and go home. The company then hired new employees with the promise of large bonuses.
However, one worker claimed that these contracts were changed so that they “could not receive the subsidy promised,” and that they were quarantined without food.
After workers staged protests at its campus in the city of Zhengzhou, the company said it was in constant communication with the affected employees about the pay and bonuses and was doing its best to actively solve the concerns and reasonable demands of employees.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.