Update on the Foxconn strike...
I figured you guys would like an update on the alleged strike that some are claiming to be going on, but Foxconn denies reports of any strike or disputes. Sorry for the long post, but if said to be true this is good for us who are still waiting on deliveries.
This is a copy and paste from cnet.com Apple news:
Foxconn denies report of strike at Zhengzhou iPhone factory
Reuters reports that Foxconn says that 3,000 to 4,000 workers building iPhones did not stop work on Friday.
Dan Farber
by Dan Farber
October 6, 2012 6:42 AM PDT
Construction near Foxconn s factory in Zhengzhou, China.
Construction near Foxconn's factory in Zhengzhou, China.
(Credit: Jay Greene/CNET )
Foxconn is denying that an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 workers at one of its factories in Zhengzhou, China, went on strike Friday, as reported by China Labor Watch, a non-profit advocacy group based in New York.
"Any reports that there has been an employee strike are inaccurate. There has been no workplace stoppage in that facility or any other Foxconn facility and production has continued on schedule," Foxconn said in an email statement to Reuters. In addition, Foxconn said employees working over China's National Day break, the first week of October, do so voluntarily and are paid three times their usual hourly wage, as required by law.
The statement is contrary to a news release from China Labor Watch, which stated that Foxconn raised overly strict demands on product quality workers without providing training for the corresponding skills, resulting in a "widespread work stoppage":
China Labor Watch (CLW) announced that at 1:00PM on October 5 (Beijing time), a strike occurred at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory that, according to workers, involved three to four thousand production workers. In addition to demanding that workers work during the holiday, Foxconn raised overly strict demands on product quality without providing worker training for the corresponding skills. This led to workers turning out products that did not meet standards and ultimately put a tremendous amount of pressure on workers. Additionally, quality control inspectors fell into to conflicts with workers and were beat up multiple times by workers. Factory management turned a deaf ear to complaints about these conflicts and took no corrective measures. The result of both of these circumstances was a widespread work stoppage on the factory floor among workers and inspectors.
The majority of workers who participated in this strike were workers from the OQC (onsite quality control) line. According to workers, multiple iPhone 5 production lines from various factory buildings were in a state of paralysis for the entire day. It was reported that factory management and Apple, despite design defects, raised strict quality demands on workers, including indentations standards of 0.02mm and demands related to scratches on frames and back covers. With such demands, employees could not even turn out iPhones that met the standard. This led to a tremendous amount of pressure on workers. On top of this, they were not permitted to have a vacation during the holiday. This combination of factors led to the strike.
China Labor Watch subsequently updated its statement to include Foxconn's denial and more details on the alleged strike:
From October 1st to October 8th, it is the national Holiday in China. Foxcom required workers in the ZhengZhou Factory to work during this time to meet the production demand of iphone 5. On October 5th, workers from the OQC (onsite quality control) line went to the factory and then left due to the conflicts. Foxcom denied that these workers strike. However, according to the workers, they went on strike instead of not volunteering to work overtime. October 5th is a holiday, the workers are paid 3 times their normal pay. These workers went back to work on Saturday.
Reuters referenced a Xinhua news agency report, quoting an unnamed government official in Zengzhou, that an estimated 100 quality control inspectors refused to work for a short period after one of them was beaten by workers upset with the inspection demands. The government spokesman also reportedly said that Apple issued instructions to Foxconn to "strengthen quality inspections for the iPhone 5" following complaints from customers about "aesthetic flaws."
Apple has not commented on this incident.
Foxconn manufactures products for Apple as well as other technology companies including Dell and Hewlett-Packard. The reported incident is the latest worker-related action to affect production at one of its facilities. Last month a riot involving as many as 2,000 people broke out after an alleged altercation between a guard and a worker. The plant was shut down and reopened a day later.
