A brawl at a Foxconn factory that disrupted production at Apple's main China supplier for 24 hours highlights regimented dormitory life and thuggish security as major sources of labor tension in China.
While unrest often flares in China as low-paid workers agitate for better pay and conditions, the conflict at Foxconn's Taiyuan facility in northern China was notable for its scale and severity, even if not directly related to shop-floor conditions.
It marked a blow to Apple's top supplier as it ramps up production to meet orders for the iPhone 5 and seeks to rehabilitate its image after a labor audit this year found flaws.
The company does not say which of its plants supply Apple but an employee told Reuters that the Taiyuan plant was among those that assembled and made parts for the iPhone 5. Some workers said they were making the iPhone 4s.
Details of the melee remain sketchy as police and company officials investigate, but employees interviewed by Reuters said tension between workers and security guards boiled over on Sunday evening after a worker was severely beaten.
That led to thousands joining the fracas and about 40 people were injured, according to Foxconn and Chinese media.
The movement of workers from other Foxconn plants to Taiyuan may have contributed to friction between groups of laborers facing heavier workloads and crowded dormitories as production intensified to meet Apple targets, rights groups and workers said.
It was quiet on Tuesday outside the factory, with police keeping watch. Gates had been torn off hinges and windows smashed, and a voice on a loop recording broadcast over a loud speaker appealed for people to maintain order.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/25/us-honhai-idUSBRE88O03120120925
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