Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Cell C may list on the JSE as Blue Label eyes big restructuring

      16 May 2025

      Nvidia shares roar back to life

      16 May 2025

      5 000 fake DStv chargers seized, destroyed in Durban port bust

      16 May 2025

      Now Facebook wants to … scan your face

      16 May 2025

      Grok’s South Africa blunder raises alarms over chatbot oversight

      16 May 2025
    • World

      Microsoft to lay off 3% of workforce in organisation-wide cuts

      14 May 2025

      AI-voiced audiobooks are coming to Audible

      13 May 2025

      Apple turns to AI to tackle iPhone battery woes

      13 May 2025

      Vodafone CFO to step down

      7 May 2025

      Lights, camera, tariffs: Trump declares war on foreign flicks

      5 May 2025
    • In-depth

      South Africa unveils big state digital reform programme

      12 May 2025

      Is this the end of Google Search as we know it?

      12 May 2025

      Social media’s Big Tobacco moment is coming

      13 April 2025

      This is Europe’s shot to emerge from Silicon Valley’s shadow

      10 April 2025

      Microsoft turns 50

      4 April 2025
    • TCS

      Meet the CIO | Schalk Visser on Cell C’s big tech pivot

      13 May 2025

      TCS | Kiaan Pillay on fintech start-up Stitch and its R1-billion funding round

      7 May 2025

      TCS+ | Switchcom and Huawei eKit: networking made easy for SMEs

      6 May 2025

      TCS | How Covid sparked a corporate tug-of-war over Adapt IT

      30 April 2025

      TCS+ | Inside MTN’s big brand overhaul

      11 April 2025
    • Opinion

      Solar panic? The truth about SSEG, fines and municipal rules

      14 April 2025

      Data protection must be crypto industry’s top priority

      9 April 2025

      ICT distributors must embrace innovation or risk irrelevance

      9 April 2025

      South Africa unprepared for deepfake chaos

      3 April 2025

      Google: South African media plan threatens investment

      3 April 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Electronics and hardware » More trouble at world’s biggest iPhone factory

    More trouble at world’s biggest iPhone factory

    More than 20 000 employees at Apple supplier Foxconn's huge Chinese plant have left, a source said on Friday.
    By Agency Staff25 November 2022
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp
    Ann Wang/Reuters

    More than 20 000 employees at Apple supplier Foxconn’s huge Chinese plant, mostly new hires not yet working on production lines, have left, a Foxconn source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

    The departures from the world’s largest iPhone factory deal a fresh blow to the Taiwanese company that has been grappling with strict Covid-19 restrictions that have fuelled discontent among workers and disrupted production ahead of Christmas and January’s Lunar New Year holiday.

    Concerns are mounting over Apple’s ability to deliver products for the busy holiday period as the worker unrest lingers at the Zhengzhou plant, which produces the US company’s popular iPhone 14 models.

    The incident has a big impact on our public image but little on our [current] capacity

    The departures will complicate Foxconn’s target of resuming full production by the end of November, after the sometimes violent unrest, the source said.

    Foxconn declined to comment. Apple, which said on Thursday it had staff at the factory, declined to comment on Friday.

    In a rare case of open dissent in China, employees have complained about sharing dormitories with colleagues who tested positive for Covid. They claim they were misled over compensation benefits at the factory that accounts for 70% of global iPhone shipments.

    Foxconn on Thursday offered C¥10 000 (about R24 000) to protesting recruits who agreed to resign and leave the plant.

    The company apologised for a pay-related “technical error” when hiring, which workers say was a factor that led to protests involving clashes with security personnel.

    ‘Time to go home’

    Videos posted on Chinese social media on Friday showed crowds and long lines of luggage-laden workers queuing for buses. “It’s time to go home,” one person posted.

    Another Foxconn source familiar with the matter said some new hires had left the campus but did not elaborate on how many. This person said the departures had no impact on current production, as the new staff still needed to take training courses before working online.

    “The incident has a big impact on our public image but little on our [current] capacity. Our current capacity is not affected,” the source said.

    “There’s only so much corporate can do on pandemic prevention… It’s been a problem for a while. This is a problem faced by everyone,” the person said, pointing to other worker unrest triggered by rigid Covid restrictions, including upheaval at another Apple supplier, Quanta, in May.

    The unrest at the Foxconn plant comes as China logs record numbers of Covid infections and grapples with increasing lockdowns that have fuelled frustration among citizens across the country. It has also exposed communication problems and a mistrust of Foxconn management among some staff.

    Foxconn launched a hiring drive this month, promising bonuses and higher salaries after it had to enact Covid curbs in October. The restrictions forced the company to isolate many employees, prompting several to flee.  — Yimou Lee, with Brenda Goh, (c) 2022 Reuters

    Get TechCentral’s daily newsletter



    Apple Foxconn
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleTransforming data into business value: QlikWorld Tour presents the data analytics pipeline
    Next Article Amazon to spend $1-billion/year on movies for cinema

    Related Posts

    Trump tells Tim Cook: stop building iPhone plants in India

    15 May 2025

    Samsung unveils the ultra-slim Galaxy S25 Edge

    13 May 2025

    Apple turns to AI to tackle iPhone battery woes

    13 May 2025
    Company News

    Zoom Fibre’s mission: powering the economy with world-class internet

    16 May 2025

    Retailers: take back control of your tech stack with self-enablement

    15 May 2025

    Sigfox South Africa unveils next-gen asset intelligence for smarter logistics

    15 May 2025
    Opinion

    Solar panic? The truth about SSEG, fines and municipal rules

    14 April 2025

    Data protection must be crypto industry’s top priority

    9 April 2025

    ICT distributors must embrace innovation or risk irrelevance

    9 April 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.