Mikey Campbell
Foxconn officials on Saturday issued a statement denying a strike hit the company's Zhengzhou iPhone plant on Friday, claiming instead that the factory was the site of two small altercations days earlier which had no impact on production.
In a statement emailed to Reuters, Foxconn was quick to deny widely reported claims of a worker strike and subsequent stoppage of multiple iPhone 5 assembly lines on Friday.
"Any reports that there has been an employee strike are inaccurate," Foxconn said, adding that "there has been no workplace stoppage in that facility or any other Foxconn facility and production has continued on schedule."
The Taiwan-based company admitted there were two "brief and small" disputes earlier this month, however the quarrels were "immediately addressed and measures taken, including providing additional staff for the lines in question."
According to a Friday report from China Labor Watch, 3,000 to 4,000 workers on quality control lines at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory, which Apple CEO Tim Cook happened to visit in January, went on strike, allegedly stopping production for an unknown period of time. Supposedly at issue were overly stringent demands from company managers and Apple regarding nicks and scratches on iPhone 5 units leaving the factory, with the new requirements putting undue pressure on already agitated employees.
Foxconn also denied allegations of vacation cuts, and said laborers who chose to work over China's National Day holiday were paid three times their normal wages, in line with the country's laws.
Interestingly, the electronic manufacturer's statements are contrary to a report from China's Xinhua news agency, which noted a government spokesman for the Zhengzhou industrial zone said about 100 Foxconn inspectors refused to go back to work after one was reputedly beaten by disgruntled workers.
"The instruction to strengthen quality inspections for the iPhone 5 was given by Apple Inc. following multiple complaints from customers regarding aesthetic flaws in the phone," said the unnamed spokesman.
Despite reports of brand new iPhone 5s being "scuffed" out of the box, Apple has been slammed with orders for its newest handset.
Due to the secrecy and low level of media access to Foxconn's factories, it is difficult to determine the veracity of each party's claims, though in either case it appears that the factory lines are up and running.
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
71 Comments
The usual FUD-forces in play to manipulate the AAPL-price...
The previous story was far more interesting to the great unwashed, so this one will be ignored. An Apple a day keeps the truth away....
These Foxconn worker stories are getting a little old.
EDIT:
Alright, correction. They're *not* getting old - really, because they connect with iPhone production, which then may connect with availability, etc.
I'm sure it's harder to work at foxconn, making parts for an iPhone, than it is working a similar manufacturing job in North America (if any of those factories still exist). And to further add insult to injury they get so little for the effort that a similar employee here would get. I think humanity is a lost cause when people can so easily exploit other human beings for a dollar bill. That being said, it's not just apple that does it's manufacturing in Asia. Almost every tech company has a contract with Foxconn or similar manufacturers to produce parts.
So why is it that so many news stories come out about Foxconn, and not just that, but it's always associated with Apple. I know that Foxconn workers also make parts for the xbox 360 and playstation 3 yet we never hear of those workers being disgruntled.
I'm a fan of apple products, not to the point that I'd jump in front of a bullet to save an iPhone, but I would easily criticize the company if need be. But this has gotten way out of hand lately. It's gotten sickening, the jealousy, the hatred, the deliberate attempts at sabotage from media, and just everyday average people on forums.
I frequent sites like cnet and engagdet and even that has gotten hard to do because you read a story about Apple and the comments are from android users claiming ios and iphone are so far behind eventhough they don't own one and know what makes it great. Next you read a story about dish dropping blockbuster rental service and the comments are about ios and iphone are so far behind and Galaxy sIII is the greatest because you can change the keyboard and put a clock widget on the screen, and how apple will sue.
Sometimes I don't understand how Apple just sits there and doesn't try to address these things through advertising or any other means just because it frustrates me to no end. I know they read and hear the same things we do. Then again I understand there is no need to do so and am glad I'm not making the decisions because I'd go after every one of those people individually and make them eat their words. haha.
Although I do have a life and Apple will be just fine no matter how hard people try to bring them down, that rant felt good.
Oh and just one little side note. The iPhone has dings and scratches. Sure that isn't cool when paying a premium for a product, but I'd take a ding and a scratch over a bent samsung galaxy sIII because it was in a pocket of someone I know who sat down for such a brief second that he prevented himself from getting his whole weight down on it as he rose up when realizing it. I'm pretty sure an iPhone wouldn't bend or even get a scratch or ding in that situation.
I do realize that I just did what I ranted about in the previous post but it had to be done as I'm sure there will be a android fan at some point commenting on dings and scratches. Only difference about me and them though is that I say go buy the phone you like because that's what I'd want you to do. I have no apple stock and I don't get a boner when an iPhone sells. I guess that's another thing iPhones don't do that android phones have doing for years. How proud I'd be if my first boner was caused by an android when I was a pimply faced 14 year old.