A Wistron Corp (緯創) plant in India is set to restart operations, after a riot broke out at the production base spurred by a labor dispute in December last year, Indian media reported on Tuesday.
Citing Wistron Smart Devices chief executive officer David Shen (沈慶堯), the Times of India said that the company has taken steps to improve standards at its Narasapura factory in Karnataka state, and would resume operations soon.
On Dec. 12, a protest by about 2,000 workers turned violent. Employees at the factory, which assembles iPhones for Apple Inc, said that they had not been paid the wages agreed upon when they were hired.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Some protesters attempted to set fire to vehicles, Indian media reported.
The riot led to a production stoppage, causing losses of NT$100 million to NT$200 million (US$3.52 million to US$7.04 million), the company said.
Reuters at the time said that Wistron failed to maintain proper employment records of their workers, who worked 12-hour shifts at the Narasapura plant and were not paid for overtime.
An investigation report obtained by Reuters also said that three of Wistron’s human resources providers — Creative Engineers, Quess Corp and Addeco India — had contravened labor regulations.
However, the Times of India quoted Shen as saying: “All employees have been promptly and fully paid and we have implemented new hiring and payroll systems to ensure that everyone is paid correctly and provided with the correct documentation.”
“We will be delivering enhanced training programs for all workers and have put in place a new system for workers to get information and raise any concerns they might have,” Shen said, adding that the firm would accept anonymous complaints.
“We are looking forward to restarting our operations and welcoming back team members, and we thank them for their patience and support as we work through corrective actions,” he added.
Wistron employs 12,000 workers at the Narasapura factory.
Apple teams and independent auditors have over the past eight weeks been working with Wistron to implement improved processes, the Cupertino-based firm said in an e-mailed statement, adding that the Taiwanese contractor would continue to face scrutiny.
“A comprehensive set of corrective actions has now been completed and Wistron has restructured their recruiting team and enhanced training and support for workers,” Apple said. “Wistron remains on probation and we will monitor their progress closely.”
All workers at the facility would undergo a training program to ensure that they understand their rights and how to raise concerns, Apple said.
Apple representatives would remain on site to monitor new processes, it added.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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