Apple is sending a team of independent auditors to India to investigate safety and health concerns at a Foxconn production plant, which produces critical components in Apple products. Work stopped at the Sriperumbuder, India plant after over 250 people were poisoned by food served at the complex. Over 150 people living and working at the plant were hospitalized for food poisoning. The plant and its 17,000 employees are now "on probation," meaning that work will cease until the independent auditors ensure conditions are safe.
Amidst tensions between U.S. and China, Apple continued to invest in emerging production markets like India. Due to the ongoing microchip shortage, which affected the iPhone 13 lineup, the company is moving away from its China plants in favor of facilities in the U.S., Vietnam, and India. It was announced last year that Apple would be investing a billion dollars into the Sriperumbuder Foxconn plant over a three-year period. Now, that same plant is shut down due to the health concerns in the dining areas and living spaces, which workers pay Foxconn to use in the facility.
produce an Apple electric car. Foxconn's alleged overcrowding and health concerns are significant because workers on the plant reside on-location in dorm-style living. Workers claim that up to 30 employees are forced to sleep on the floor of rooms without consistent running water.
A History Of Problems
Apple has acknowledged that the working conditions at the India plant do not meet the company's standards for its major production partners. "We found that some of the remote dormitory accommodations and dining rooms being used for employees do not meet our requirements," a spokesperson for the company told Reuters. "We are working with the supplier to ensure a comprehensive set of corrective actions are rapidly implemented." While the investigation is conducted, all workers will be continued to be paid even as the plant is shut down.
This is not the first quality control incident to affect an Indian product plant in recent years. In December of last year, a protest at Foxconn's Wistron plant turned to unrest over work conditions. Foxconn employees damaged equipment and vehicles at the production facility in response to the health and safety concerns at the plant. In response, Apple held pending contracts with Foxconn until conditions improved. Production was also suspended at Wistron while it was under investigation, and Sriperumbuder faces a similar fate.
Apple will work to improve conditions at the plant as production ramps up in preparation for the iPhone 14 lineup. The company has worked with Foxconn as a major supplier for decades, even as they shift production across countries. Despite their familiar relationship, it appears that Foxconn will need to improve their quality control to remain a high-volume Apple supplier. Consumers and shareholders are increasingly aware — and concerned — about the labor conditions of the workers that produce their favorite products.
Source: Reuters