Foxconn apologizes in bid to calm protests
STORY: iPhone-maker Foxconn has been rocked by protests in recent days.
The unrest at its huge plant in China was sparked by anger over health-crisis curbs and claims of late pay.
On Thursday (November 24) the Taiwanese giant apologized for a “technical error” over hiring.
The firm said it had identified a problem with the onboarding process for new recruits.
It said it would guarantee that pay is the same as on recruitment posters, but didn’t elaborate further.
That was an about-face from the previous day, when Foxconn said it had fulfilled all payment contracts.
Foxconn’s complex in Zhengzhou is home to around 200,000 workers.
It accounts for about 70% of iPhone shipments worldwide.
Staff there had grown increasingly angry over strict quarantine rules and shortages of food.
Since October, management had imposed a closed-loop system that cut the plant off from the outside world.
Now Foxconn says it will respect the wishes of new recruits who want to resign and leave the facility.
By Thursday, the firm said the largest protests had died down.
A Reuters source said Foxconn had reached “initial agreements” with workers to resolve the disputes, and that production at the plant was continuing.
