Oppo sacks employee who ‘threw’ flag in bin
The mobile phone company has shut its Noida assembling unit till Friday, over 30 employees protested on Wednesday demanding the arrest of the accused without delay
NOIDA/NEW DELHI: Mobile phone maker Oppo has sacked a Chinese employee who allegedly tore the Indian flag and threw it in the dustbin, triggering protests by locals and workers in the company.
“Based on the recent incident and after thorough investigation with the concerned authorities, we have found that a worker discarded the Indian flag from the table during regular external material check. Oppo India regrets this unfortunate incident and reaffirms that this is an individual’s behaviour that in no way represents our company’s position. We have zero tolerance for such matters and have taken strict action in terminating the individual and continue working very closely with the authorities on the matter,” Oppo India said in a statement here.
However, the company did not disclose the identity of the staffer.
Oppo, India’s fourth-largest handset maker, had shut down its assembling unit at Noida sector 63 till Wednesday evening. However, it has now decided to keep it closed till Friday. Employees have been informed to report for work on Friday morning. However, other units at the facility – supply, packaging and import — are still open.
The Chinese mobile company is yet to confirm details about how long the factory will remain closed. However, the incident couldn’t have come at a worse time for the company as it tries to gain more market share alongside its Chinese rivals such as Xiaomi, Gionee and Vivo.
Over 30 employees protested again outside the factory on Wednesday morning amid tight security. The protest continued for 20 minutes.They demanded that the Chinese man should be arrested without further delay.
Police said the investigations will take time to be completed. Ajay Kumar, circle officer, Noida police said, “We are not focusing on whether the employee has been sacked or not. Once we are done with investigations and find who is guilty, we will summon the accused to join the investigation.”
According to international market research firm, International Data Corporation (IDC), Oppo has 8.6% market share. The company had started operations here in 2014. Oppo had to invest a lot in advertisement to get to the fourth spot. The company not only sponsored the ICC T20 World Cup but also is now the official sponsor of Indian cricket team jersey. Oppo paid ₹1,079 crore to the BCCI for a fiveyear deal, outbidding Vivo mobiles’ ₹768 crore bid.
Shutting down of operations is bound to impact the company as it will struggle to keep up with high local demand. During the launch of the Noida factory, the company had said that it will have the ability to manufacture 10 million handsets a year and 27,398 smartphones a day. If the factory is shut for four days, then the company will lose out on making nearly one lakh phones.
Industry experts also feared that the incident may have a negative impact on the brand and affect sales during the quarter.
The Oppo employees, who met the management on Wednesday, also demanded that they should have eight-hour work shifts, holiday on Sunday and a minimum monthly salary of ₹15,000.