Sick iPhone employees are expected to keep working and skip COVID-19 testing.
According to a report, Foxconn is allegedly telling iPhone workers who are sick to report to work at the Zhengzhou facility, and one of the complaints indicates that employees are being told not to submit to COVID-19 tests.
The largest iPhone assembly plant in the world, located on the Foxconn campus in Zhengzhou, China, is thought to create 80% of all iPhone models, including the iPhone 14 Pro.
Background
A COVID-19 epidemic on the school caused severe disturbance. Numerous employees made the decision to leave the plant and travel back to their hometowns after complaining of a shortage of food and pharmaceuticals.
The impact of subsequent bonus offers was little, and when they weren’t paid, there were violent demonstrations. More than 20,000 employees left in response to compensation attempts to placate them.
Three weeks ago, the lockdown in Zhengzhou itself came to an end. However, Foxconn was still required to continue employing closed-loop production, which requires employees to remain on the campus around-the-clock for up to one month at a time.
The majority of COVID-19 limitations at the plant were lifted last week, but it still doesn’t seem like the problem is resolved.
iPhone staff who are ill are urged to continue working
According to a Rest of the World article, sick iPhone employees are being urged to report to work and resist from undergoing COVID-19 tests because a positive result would put them in quarantine and prevent them from working.
To stop the spread of Covid-19, N95 masks are given to workers on production lines. However, staff members assert that in dorm rooms, where eight individuals congregate close to one another, it is still simple to contract the illness. Seven employees confirmed to Rest of World that they, many of their roommates, and others who joined the factory this month had caught the virus. Three claimed that despite exhibiting symptoms, they were urged to continue working.
The worker said that his boss also advised staff to forego testing so they could remain on the assembly line.
Workers claim that fever and coughing have become frequent occurrences on the manufacturing lines, in contrast to the terror brought on by the outbreak in October. A 30-year-old new recruit who also asked to remain anonymous told Rest of World that while he was waiting for the results of his Covid-19 test last week, he worked for two days while suffering from a fever. As they reprimanded slow employees in hoarse accents, his superiors also appeared to be ill. The worker remarked, “They also couldn’t move properly.” “Hadn’t they also been COVID-positive?”
Although the source of the allegation is not widely recognized, its senior staff has solid experience working for renowned newspapers like The Washington Post. The article’s author, Viola Zhou, has previously worked for South China Morning Post and VICE.
Despite the isolated nature of the report, Foxconn is undeniably under tremendous pressure to resume iPhone 14 Pro production in the wake of a massive production loss. Due to this, Apple was unable to ensure that orders placed in November would arrive in time for Christmas.
A team from Apple previously looked into complaints of inadequate response to the COVID-19 outbreak and non-payment of bonus payments. It appears that another visit might be necessary.
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