Apple to probe Wistron role in violence
BENGALURU: Apple Inc said it is investigating if its Taiwanese contractor Wistron Corp flouted supplier guidelines at a violence-hit iPhone manufacturing facility near Bengaluru, following violence at the plant.
Wistron is one of Apple’s top global suppliers. In India, it makes iPhone 7 handsets and second-generation iPhone SE devices.
Unidentified factory workers trashed the facility on the outskirts of Bengaluru over the weekend as employees demanded unpaid wages and better working hours, trade union representatives said.
Videos made by employees inside the factory showed men breaking security cameras, windows and other equipment with rods and sticks.
Police have arrested 149 people over the violence, a senior police officer said.
Apple said it was dispatching additional staff and auditors to the facility.’ “Our teams are in close touch with the local authorities and we’re offering our full support to their investigation,” the company said in a statement.
Wistron Corporation said it suffered losses worth ₹437.40 crore in the violence unleashed by a section of workers at its plant in Kolar district in Karnataka over some salary issues.
A large number of employees allegedly indulged in arson, loot and violence at the company’s Narasapura manufacturing plant, where iPhone for Apple and IT products for others are produced, on Saturday, police had said.
They damaged the building, costly equipment and machines, including computers.
In its complaint at the Vemagal police station, company executive T D Prashanth has stated that office equipment, mobile phones, production machinery and related gadgets worth ₹412.5 crore was lost.
Infrastructure worth ₹10 crore, ₹60 lakh worth cars and golf carts, smartphones and other gadgets worth ₹1.5 crore were among those which suffered damage, stolen or lost.
He stated in his complaint that 5,000 contract labourers and about 2,000 unknown culprits carried out the vandalism in the facility.