CRACKDOWN

Chinese Workers at World’s Biggest iPhone Factory Beaten, Clubbed During Protests

The staff members were demonstrating after concerns about pay during strict COVID control measures.

Protests at the world’s biggest iPhone factory in China led to violent clashes with local authorities in ugly scenes shared on social media Wednesday. Workers at the Foxconn plant in the central city of Zhengzhou were beaten and detained during the demonstrations, witnesses said, with police kicking and clubbing one protester. An employee told the Associated Press that a protest erupted after complaints that the manufacturer changed conditions to attract new staff with offers of higher pay. When the new workers arrived, they found they had to work an extra two months at a lower wage in order to receive the advertised pay, Li Sanshan said. “Foxconn released very tempting recruiting offers, and workers from all parts of the country came, only to find they were being made fools of,” Li said. The clashes come after a walkout at the factory last month amid concerns about dangerous working conditions following an outbreak of virus cases at the site. Tension has been building around China over Beijing’s stringent “zero-COVID” policy, with furious anti-lockdown protests breaking out as residents fear for their livelihoods.