Foxconn Workers Clash With Police Over Pay and COVID Lockdowns at iPhone Plant
Hundreds of workers protest at Foxconn's massive Zhengzhou facility, smashing cameras and demanding unpaid wages while facing strict COVID quarantine measures. Police respond with tear gas as the contractor denies the unrest impacts iPhone production.
Hundreds of workers protest at Foxconn's massive iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, China, smashing surveillance cameras and windows over unpaid wages and strict COVID-19 lockdowns. Employees chant for their pay and complain about being locked in dormitories with colleagues who test positive for the virus, as well as facing insufficient food during the quarantine.
Foxconn issues a statement denying the reports and promises to communicate with employees and the government to prevent future violence. The contractor insists that manufacturing at the plant remains completely unaffected by the unrest and that production continues at a normal pace despite the visible chaos on the ground.
Authorities deploy riot police who use tear gas and smoke bombs to disperse the crowds of shouting workers demanding their rights. Many of the protesters report being bussed to the facility under the false promise that the COVID outbreak was under control, only to be forced into crowded quarantine rooms upon arrival.