Hundreds of employees at Apple’s main iPhone manufacturing factory in China battled with security personnel, as tensions escalated following nearly a month of stringent restrictions imposed to combat a COVID-19 epidemic. According to reports, employees at the Foxconn Technology Group factory flooded out of hostels in the wee hours of Wednesday, shoving and pushing past the white-clad security guards they considerably outnumbered.
Several videos of the incident are making rounds on social media in which several white-suited individuals can be seen thrashing a person laying on the ground with sticks. As hundreds of individuals pressed their way through barricades, supporters screamed “fight, fight!”. At one point, several people approached an occupied police car and started shaking it while yelling incoherently.
According to videos sent by a witness to portions of the protest, workers at the Foxconn Technology Group plant streamed out of dormitories in the early hours of Wednesday, jostling and pushing past the guards.
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) November 23, 2022
Reportedly, the protest began overnight over unpaid salaries and worries about the spread of infection. Several workers were hurt, and anti-riot cops were dispatched on Wednesday to restore the law and order. In one video, enraged employees surrounded a quiet, depressed supervisor in a conference room to air their frustrations and challenge their COVID-19 test results.
#Foxconn's #ICantBreathe in communist #china's Zhengzhou, after a night of Foxconn riot clashing with CCP police firing tear gas grenades, the resistance continued next morning. Riot police ganged up on Foxconn rioter, kicking & stomping on his head to cause grave injury. pic.twitter.com/1k7RkBziAg
— Northrop Gundam ∀🦅⚔️ (@GundamNorthrop) November 23, 2022
“I’m really scared about this place, we all could be COVID-positive now,” one of the male workers was quoted saying. “You are sending us to death,” the other one yelled. The occasional incidents of violence at the facility in Zhengzhou’s central business district show a buildup of tension since the shutdown began in October. Many of the 200,000-strong employees at “iPhone City” have been compelled to live in seclusion, surviving on meager food and scrounging for medication.
An earlier video of the premise had shown workers trying desperately to leave the facility.
BREAKING: Media reports of new violent protests in China at iPhone factory. In recent days, people have been trying to escape due to lockdowns. https://t.co/XHXC3EybrG
— Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) November 23, 2022
Last month, many people evacuated the factory on foot. Foxconn and the local government seemed to have regained control of the situation in recent weeks by offering more compensation and better working conditions to recruit new employees. Demonstrations that happened on Wednesday morning indicate that this is no longer the case.
It shows how Xi Jinping’s zero COVID strategy, which depends on rapid lockdowns to eradicate the illness wherever it appears, is gradually weighing on the economy and causing havoc in the global supply chain. Beijing recently released fresh orders for officials to reduce disruption and apply more targeted COVID-19 regulations, but rising outbreaks in key cities have driven local authorities to revert to stricter controls.
As cases increased and a couple of deaths were reported in the country, the Chinese capital halted schools, parks, shopping centers, and museums this week and advised residents to work from home. The breakouts have alarmed investors, who had been banking on a relaxation of tight COVID regulations. Despite indications this week that China was working toward reopening after March of next year, the new rise in cases and the likelihood of further deaths would hinder those plans.
Occasional violence has occurred in response to COVID-19 regulations across China. Hundreds of workers battled with security agents at Quanta Computer’s Shanghai plant in May after being denied communication with the outside world for months, while demonstrations also erupted in Guangdong, the southern industrial powerhouse. The Foxconn crisis highlights the risks for Apple of depending on a massive manufacturing machine centred in China during a period of unpredictable policies and uncertain trade ties.
Zhengzhou is Apple’s most crucial manufacturing location, producing an estimated four out of every five of its latest gadgets, as well as the vast bulk of the highest-end iPhone 14 Pro units. Apple cautioned this month that shipments of its newest premium iPhones will be fewer than projected, just in anticipation of holiday shopping.
