Updated: December 12, 2020 9:28:17 pm
Kolar district police officials said employees were unhappy about the wage delays.
The Narsapura plant of Wistron Corporation, a Taiwan-based company that makes devices for many companies, including Apple, was looted on Saturday by disgruntled employees. Kolar district police officials said employees were unhappy about the wage delays. A probe has started.
Speaking to Indianexpress.com, Kolar SP Karthik Reddy said: “The employees demanded the outstanding payment for a few months and met with officials from the Human Resources Department on Saturday. After this, some employees attacked the office and damaged the office facilities and furniture ”.
The SP said police have collected CCTV footage and will soon arrest some suspects. The plant is located about 60 km from Bangalore.
Workers Denounce Unpaid Wages and Vandalize iPhone Manufacturing Unit Near Bangalore pic.twitter.com/pbW6xAwA0I
– The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) December 12, 2020
According to police sources, the employees have damaged furniture, computers and factory equipment. They tried to set two company vehicles on fire and damaged four other vehicles parked on the premises. However, most of the damage is known to have occurred in the main office areas and the factory floors were undamaged.
Wistron has a 43 acre plant in the Narasapura industrial area in which an investment of Rs 3,000 crore was made. About 10,000 employees are employed at the plant that makes devices for multiple brands, including Apple. Most of the employees working at the plant are from Kolar, Chikkabalapur, the rural and urban district of Bengaluru. Wistron has another plant in the Peenya industrial area of Bengaluru that exclusively manufactures iPhones.
Karnataka’s Senior Deputy Minister Dr. C Ashwathnarayan, who also manages the IT and Biotechnology portfolios, tweeted that it is imperative that no one take the law into their own hands. “There are appropriate forums to solve these problems without falling into this rampant violence,” he said, condemning the violence.
Ashwathnarayan added that strict measures will be taken against “errant elements”, but also promised that all workers’ rights will be “duly protected” and their quotas will be settled. The minister said he has asked SP, Kolar to ensure that all measures are taken to bring the situation under immediate control and identify the culprits. “Strict measures will be taken in accordance with the law against errant elements.”
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