iPhone production to drop by 30% as workers' unrest disrupts operations

According to Reuters, workers at Foxconn's factory in China's city of Zhengzhou protested the COVID regulations which were set in place at the factory and this cumulated into a full-fledged crisis which disrupted operations.

This led to thousands of angry employees walking away from the iPhone assembly factory in the central city of Zhengzhou last month.

Amid protests fueled by inappropriate COVID regulations, employees recently had another reason to initiate more crisis as they accused the factory of shortchanging them and lying about the compensations they offered.

Protests started on Tuesday after employees who responded to a job opening stormed the facility and noticed the pay offered was not what was promised.

This led to another round of protest on Tuesday night as workers took to the streets to complain over the terms of the new hires’ payment packages and COVID-related concerns about their living conditions.

The protest turned increasingly violent on Wednesday as workers clashed with a large number of security forces, including SWAT team officers.

Apple has been particularly hit by these protests and there have been concerns about the factory's ability to deliver products for the busy holiday period.

The Foxconn plant at Zhengzhou accounts for about 70% of global iPhone shipments and is the main production plant for the popular iPhone 14 models.

According to a CNN report, the production plant has offered to compensate the newly recruited workers 10,000 yuan ($1,400) to exit the world’s largest iPhone assembly factory, in an attempt to end the clash which has seriously eaten deep into the company's production schedule.