Workers will return to Foxconn’s India plant on Wednesday after the company said has implemented “corrective actions” following worker protests regarding poor working conditions, and Apple placing the plant on probation.
Workers return to Foxconn’s iPhone plant as it is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday
After a protest forced Foxconn to close its plant, the Cupertino tech giant placed the company on probation and the state government conducted inspections of workers’ hostels, it was reported that workers had to live in unsanitary conditions including crowded dorms without flush toilets and food sometimes crawling with worms.
Workers living in the dorms reportedly always had some illness or the other — skin allergies, chest pain, food poisoning. Prior to the protest, these illnesses included food poisoning that impacted one or two workers. However, when the food, which had worms, caused more than 250 workers to fall sick, a large protest broke out.
The state government’s investigation of the hostels revealed concerns regarding power backups, food and water, and lack of recreational facilities such as a TV, a library, and indoor games.
Now, as reported by The Economic Times, the company has announced that it will start bringing workers back.
“We have been working on a series of improvements to fix issues we found at the offsite dormitory facilities at Sriperumbudur and to enhance the services we provide to our employees,” said Foxconn India in a statement. “We have implemented a range of corrective actions to ensure this cannot happen again and a rigorous monitoring system to ensure workers can raise any concerns they may have, including anonymously.”
As per the report, operations at the plant will only start up again when both Apple and the government approve the conditions of the company’s hostels and dormitories. Foxconn said that the company will “gradually begin to welcome back team members as each offsite dormitory becomes ready and is approved.”
However, an Apple spokesperson told the publication that the plant continues to remain on probation.
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