BENGALURU: Saturday violence to Wistronis Kolar plant, where it is assembled iPhones, has caused losses amounting to an estimated Rs 437 crore, the company stated in its complaint to the police and the labor department, reports Sandeep Moudgal.
The losses are primarily due to the theft of thousands of iPhones, allegedly looted from the unit during the violence, and damage done to Wistron’s assembly line and factory equipment, according to the complaint. Condemning the violence of two hours, Karnataka Labor Minister Shivaram Hebbar said that the damage caused to the company was unacceptable.
According to the government, the dispute between Wistron and the contract workers has dragged on for three months. Hebbar said Wistron had hired six subsidiary companies to hire 8,900 people for its Kolar unit.
“In addition, the company had 1,200 permanent employees,” he added. Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar said the violence was perhaps fueled by a lack of communication between Wistron, contractors and employees.
“What we heard is that the company had made payments to labor contractors, who delayed payments to employees. This is being verified ”, he said. Hebbar said the labor department has sent notices to Wistron, asking the company to pay the fees within three days.
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