One shift of 120 workers has returned to a Foxconn factory that employed about 17,000.
From Reuters’ “Foxconn India’s iPhone plant restarts production after December protests” posted Wednesday:
Apple Inc. supplier Foxconn restarted production at its plant in southern India on Wednesday, a company official said, over three weeks after it was closed because of protests over workers falling sick.
The company official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the factory reopened with one shift and 120 workers, adding it would take over two months for the plant to produce at full capacity.
The plant, in the town of Sriperumbudur near the Tamil Nadu state capital of Chennai, employs about 17,000 people but was closed on Dec. 18 after 250 workers fell sick with food poisoning, sparking protests. Workers previously told Reuters the plant generally operates three shifts.
See also: Workers at iPhone factory served ‘food crawling with worms’
My take: One meal at a time.
AKA: Hearsay, gossip and rumors:
“The company official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity,”
AND…
“Reuters spoke to six women who worked at the Foxconn plant near Chennai. All of them requested they not to be named ”
AND…
“Foxconn did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.”
AND…
“a Foxconn contractor that runs the dorm where workers were sickened by food poisoning, declined to comment.”
AND…
“A rumour – later proved to be false – circulated that some of the women who had fallen sick had died.”
AND…
“Reuters could not independently confirm the descriptions of the police response.”
AND…
“Apple and Foxconn did not indicate when the plant would reopen.”
AND…
“Apple declined to comment on Wednesday, but had said on Monday the plant remained on probation”
That said… I sympathize with the workers, clearly they are suffering as Foxconn struggles to meet the standards Apple demands, or anyone with a conscience would expect.
Reminds me of nasty reports coming from China years ago when Apple and Foxconn were first setting things up.
Growing pains?
How many other companies operating in India have these kinds of problems, or worse? And yet it’s Apple that makes the headlines. Every bleeping time.
I hate rumors!