A few days ago, there were media reports that two Apple industry executives said that Apple's Foxconn factory near Chennai, India, has now begun trial production of the iPhone 13. According to the report, many industries around the world are facing chip shortages, and smartphones are no exception, but Apple has a strong control over the supply chain, ensuring the normal supply and demand of its own products for chips.
On December 30, new media reported that production was again interrupted at India's Foxconn iPhone foundry, which is located on the outskirts of Chennai, the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, due to a large number of workers protesting. It is reported that the reason for the collective protest of workers was that on December 17, 159 female workers at the factory were taken to the local hospital for treatment due to food poisoning. At the same time, as many as 256 workers experienced vomiting, diarrhoea and headaches, and the factory was shut down on December 17 due to worker protests.
Local media said the factory was contaminated with food from the canteen because of the collective food poisoning, and the media also said that the living conditions of factory workers were similar to those of 19th-century laborers. Because the problem has aroused relatively large attention in the local area, the factory has also been included in Apple's compliance watch list.
Apple said the factory needs to provide workers with treatment that meets the standard requirements before production can resume. To this end, Apple has also sent independent auditors to help solve the problem, and the diet is working with suppliers to prepare for a comprehensive revision of the implementation measures. At the same time, Apple also said that all workers can continue to receive salaries as usual during the shutdown of the factory, and the factory will expand the living area, improve bathing facilities and provide drinking water.