Apple said on Monday the company is investigating whether Taiwan-based contractor Wistron Corp failed to follow supplier guidelines at an iPhone assembly plant in India, after some workers ransacked the plant in a protest over unpaid wages.
Thousands of contract workers gathered on the grounds of the Wistron site on the outskirts of India’s tech hub of Bengaluru on Saturday demanding unpaid wages and better working hours.
As police arrived, the crowd turned violent and video from the scene showed people armed with rods and sticks smashing equipment and vandalizing cars, causing what the company estimated at $60 million in damage.
“We have teams on the ground and have immediately launched a detailed investigation at Wistron’s Narasapura facility,” Apple said in an email, adding it was dedicated to ensuring everyone in its supply chain was treated with dignity and respect.
Videos taken by employees in the Wistron factory showed men, many wearing masks due to the coronavirus outbreak, destroying security cameras, windows and other equipment… The crowd smashed four cars, two golf carts, stole laptops and smartphones and destroyed other office equipment, according to a police report filed by Wistron and reviewed by Reuters.
In the complaint, Wistron accused more than 5,000 contract workers and some 2,000 unknown people of destruction of property. It put the losses at 4.38 billion rupees ($60 million).
Police have arrested 149 people over the violence, a senior officer said, while a search was on to identify and arrest more perpetrators as the investigation continues.
MacDailyNews Take: Two quotes:
Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. — Mahatma Gandhi
Permanent good can never be the outcome of untruth and violence. — Mahatma Gandhi