Apple Inc said it is investigating whether its Taiwanese contractor Wistron Corp violated the supplier’s guidelines at a violence-hit iPhone manufacturing plant near Bengaluru, following the violence at the plant.
Wistron is one of Apple’s leading global suppliers. In India, it manufactures iPhone 7 phones and second-generation iPhone SE devices.
Unidentified factory workers vandalized the facility on the outskirts of Bengaluru over the weekend when employees demanded unpaid wages and better working hours, union representatives said.
Videos made by employees inside the factory showed men smashing security cameras, windows and other equipment with rods and sticks.
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Police arrested 149 people for the violence, a senior police officer said.
Apple said it was sending additional staff and auditors to the facility. ‘
“Our teams are in close contact with local authorities and we are offering our full support to their investigation,” the company said in a statement.
Apple requires its suppliers to provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, act fairly and ethically, and use environmentally responsible practices wherever they manufacture products or provide services for the company.
Wistron said he was “deeply shocked” by the violence, blaming “unknown persons … with unclear intentions.”
“The company always complies with the law and fully supports and is cooperating with the relevant authorities and police investigations,” Wistron said in a statement to the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
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