Foxconn workers on strike over iPhone 5 production, labor group says

05.10.2012
Thousands of workers went on strike at a Foxconn factory in China on Friday, bringing some iPhone 5 production lines to a halt, a labor rights group said.

The strike at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory began at 1 p.m. local time and involved 3,000 to 4,000 workers, according to New York-based China Labor Watch, which said it received its information from workers at the plant.

The workers are upset about stricter quality-control requirements introduced for the new Apple smartphone, the labor group said. They are also upset at being made to work through a Chinese national holiday this week, it said.

"According to workers, multiple iPhone 5 production lines from various factory buildings were in a state of paralysis for the entire day," China Labor Watch said. It also reported that quality-control inspectors were attacked.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment and Foxconn, based in Taiwan, could not be reached for comment. It was not possible to confirm independently the number of workers striking.

It wouldn't be the first disruption at a Foxconn plant in China. Last month, at a factory in Taiyuan after what workers described as aggressive behavior from security guards.