A week after the violence that broke out at Wistron’s factory in Karnataka’s Narasapura, the company admitted its mistake and apologized to the workers for not paying their wages. The company also decided to remove its vice president of India, Vincent Lee, after the violence.
“This is a new facility and we recognize that we made mistakes as we expanded. Some of the processes we put in place to manage labor agencies and payments need to be strengthened and updated and we are taking immediate action to correct this, including disciplinary action.” Taiwan-based Wistron Corporation said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Apple, for whom this factory was producing various parts for iPhones, has said that it has put Wistron on probation and that the company will not receive any new business from Apple until full remedial action is taken.
Apple, which was conducting a parallel investigation into the December 12 violence incident, stated: “While investigations are ongoing, our preliminary findings indicate violations of our Supplier Code of Conduct by failing to implement proper management processes. hours of work. This caused delays in the payments of some workers in October and November. “
On the other hand, Wistron has decided to call in his vice president, Vincent Lee, who bypassed his operations in India. “We are removing the vice president who oversees our business in India. We are also improving our processes and restructuring our teams to ensure that these issues do not recur,” the company said in a statement.
Wistron further said that it would soon begin an employee assistance program for workers at the facility and establish a 24-hour complaint hotline in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and English, where all workers can voice their concerns in an open manner. anonymous.
On December 12, it was alleged that some of the contract workers at Wistron’s manufacturing plant in Narasapura went on a rampage damaging equipment, office property and vehicles, causing losses of Rs 25 to 28 million to the Taiwanese contract manufacturer and lo they forced the factory to close. plant.
Karnataka’s Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expressed concern over the incident, saying that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi was concerned about the events and that strict action would be taken against the culprits.
“Foreign companies are very important to us. These things should not have happened and the Prime Minister is also very concerned about this development. We have instructed all authorities that such things cannot be repeated and we will give full support to that company and without any problem, letting the production continue and other things, Yediyurappa told the media.
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