Problems with a Foxconn plant in India were not as simple as food poisoning. I know there’s nothing simple about food poisoning. What I mean is, it’s worse than initially suspected. Headed into the holiday break we heard word that workers at a Foxconn plant producing iPhones in Chennai, India had demonstrated over cases of food poisoning. According to a piece from Apple Insider, “256 workers at the factory were treated as outpatients, while 159 were hospitalized.” That “led to protests blocking a key highway,” which brought out the police, which led to detainments. 70-or-so women were released after less than a day in custody, while 22-men were formally arrested, according to the report.
Initially, Apple said nothing about the incident, though the company did look into it, and did not like what it found. A report from The Mac Observer says “Apple has put the India iPhone factory on probation until Foxconn fixes the problems,” of which there are many. A separate report from The Mac Observer cites overcrowded living quarters, toilets with no running water, and - according to one village-level administrator, “no safeguards to prevent COVID-19 infections.”
One can see why Apple wouldn’t be pleased. The Mac Observer quotes an Apple spokesperson, saying:
We found that some of the remote dormitory accommodations and dining rooms being used for employees do not meet our requirements and we are working with the supplier to ensure a comprehensive set of corrective actions are rapidly implemented.
Workers will keep getting paid during the downtime, according to the report. Meanwhile, Foxconn is said to be “restructuring its local management team and systems, as well as making the promised improvements to living and working conditions.”
