After complaints of horrible working conditions leaked on the internet, the Foxconn facility in India, which manufactures iPhones, is being investigated. Workers at the Foxconn plant in Chennai’s Sriperumbudur district protested the bad working conditions, including overcrowded dorms, bathrooms without running water, and worm-infested stale food. As a result, Apple is now dispatching a team of auditors to investigate the iPhone manufacturing site in Sriperumbudar.
“Following recent concerns about food safety and accommodation conditions at Foxconn Sriperumbudur, we dispatched independent auditors. We found that some remote dormitory accommodations and dining rooms being used for employees do not meet our requirements, and we are working with the supplier to ensure a comprehensive set of corrective actions are rapidly implemented,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.
On December 17th, about 2000, female workers protested against the company’s bad working conditions, resulting in the closure of the Foxconn plant. Workers were discovered to be working in hazardous situations. Several female protesters stated that they were forced to sleep on the floor in tight conditions with six to thirty other women. The worst part was that the toilets in these rooms did not have running water.
The kitchen was in a state of disarray. Food safety inspectors who visited the plant following the protests discovered that the food items handed to the workers were contaminated with rats. Over 150 female workers were hospitalized as a result of the poisoned food.
On December 15th, a large food poisoning outbreak among Foxconn employees occurred. According to the management, 159 ladies from a single dorm were hospitalized due to food poisoning. While another 100 people sought medical assistance, they were not hospitalized. Rumors circulated that some workers had died due to consuming poisoned food.
However, this was not an unusual setting at Foxconn. It was alleged that workers became ill on multiple occasions as a result of the unsanitary environment in which they were working.
Foxconn apologized for keeping workers in horrible conditions and committed to repairing the facilities. In addition, the corporation had stated that it would increase living space, upgrade restrooms, and supply workers with clean drinking water.
