Workers Riot At India IPhone Factory Over 'exploitation' Claims

Authorities vowed to crack down on workers who went on a violent rampage at a Taiwanese-run iPhone factory in southern India over allegations of unpaid wages and exploitation, with 100 people arrested so far.

The workers rioted Saturday at Wistron Infocomm Manufacturing's facility on the outskirts of Bangalore, India's IT hub, with videos of the violence showing glass panels smashed with rods and cars flipped on their side.

CCTV cameras, fans and lights were torn down, while a car was set on fire, footage shared on social media showed.

Local media reported workers saying they had not been paid for up to four months and were being forced to do extra shifts.

"The situation is under control now. We have formed special teams to investigate the incident," local police told AFP on Sunday, adding no-one was injured.

The deputy chief minister of Karnataka state, C.N. Ashwathnarayan, called the violence "wanton" and said his government would ensure that the situation is "resolved expeditiously".

"We will ensure that all workers' rights are duly protected and all their dues are cleared," he tweeted Saturday.

Wistron in Taiwan told AFP that "the incident was caused by people of unknown identities from outside who intruded into and damaged its facility with unclear intentions".

The company added in the statement in Chinese that it "pledged to follow local labour (laws) and other related regulations" to resume operations as soon as possible.

A local trade union leader alleged that there was "brutal exploitation" of factory workers in sweatshop conditions at the iPhone manufacturing plant.

"The state government has allowed the company to flout the basic rights," Satyanand, who uses one name, told The Hindu newspaper.

The factory employs some 15,000 workers, although a majority of them are contracted via staffing firms, according to local media.

Labour unrest is not uncommon in India, with workers paid poorly and given few or no social security benefits.

A sizeable number of manufacturing plants are part of the informal sector, which employs 90 percent of the vast nation's workforce.

Parliament in September passed updated labour laws that the national government said would strengthen their rights, but labour activists say the new legislation makes it harder for workers to strike.

Copyright AFP. All rights reserved.

RECENT NEWS

Tesla Redefines Strategy Amid Market Pressures And Rising Competition

Tesla, once the unrivalled leader in electric vehicles, is realigning its product strategy toward more affordable models... Read more

Meta Reports Robust Quarterly Revenue, But AI Spending Soars Impacting Share Price

Meta, the conglomerate behind giants such as Facebook and Instagram, unveiled a stronger-than-anticipated quarterly reve... Read more

AI Rising: How BCG Defies Consulting Downturn While Igniting Industry Turmoil With AI Innovation

Although the consulting business has experienced a number of layoffs and reduced revenues due to prevailing economic unc... Read more

Electric Cars - The End Of The Road Or A Bump

Electric Vehicle Sales Trends in Europe: A Mixed Picture Electric vehicle (EV) sales are exhibiting varied trends acr... Read more

Fintech Emerges As A Strong Investment Prospect

Amid the fervor surrounding artificial intelligence, identifying sectors where it has verifiably improved sales and marg... Read more

Can Energy Production Keep Up? How Fueling Your Futuristic Technology Could Ignite A Power Crisis

The march of progress has delivered remarkable technological advancements, revolutionizing life as we know it. As we rac... Read more