Foxconn plant near Chennai to remain shut this week after protests over food poisoning incident

Apple provider Foxconn’s plant close to Chennai will stay shut this week following protests sparked by a meals poisoning incident, authorities sources instructed Reuters on Tuesday.

5 days of vacation have been declared on the plant, the Superintendent of Police in Kancheepuram stated.

This was additionally confirmed by a senior official of the state of Tamil Nadu, of which Chennai is the capital.

Foxconn and Apple weren’t instantly accessible for remark.

Police in India on Monday launched dozens of these detained for blocking a key freeway in protest after the meals poisoning incident final week on the Foxconn plant led to 150 staff being admitted to hospital. The plant makes iPhone 12 fashions.

Plant staff and their kinfolk have been amongst those that blocked the freeway linking Chennai to India’s expertise hub of Bengaluru, a police official had instructed Reuters.

Most of Foxconn’s staff in India are girls.

Apple began trial manufacturing of its flagship iPhone 13 on the manufacturing facility not too long ago, the Financial Instances reported on Tuesday, citing sources, and stated the corporate anticipated to start industrial manufacturing of the mannequin in India for each the home market and exports by February.

India is among the many international locations, corresponding to Mexico and Vietnam, which are turning into essential to contract producers supplying American manufacturers as they attempt to scale back their reliance on China amid rising Sino-U.S. tensions.

The unrest at Foxconn is the second such involving an Apple provider manufacturing facility in India in a yr.

In December final yr, 1000’s of contract staff at a manufacturing facility owned by Apple provider Wistron Corp destroyed gear and automobiles over the alleged non-payment of wages, inflicting damages estimated at $60 million.