So far, the state police have detained more than 150 contract workers and searched for 5,000 more who were allegedly involved in the incident that led to the closure of the manufacturing unit in Narasapura, about 60 km from Bangalore.
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“For months, we worked hard, we woke up at 4 am to get to the pick-up point on time and we worked 12 hours every day as it was a dream to build a career … to establish ourselves,” read a contract. employee, requesting anonymity.
The promise of a stable job and ₹20,000 in monthly salary was a dream come true for many of these workers from poor families, educated in rural universities and with parents working as day laborers.
The Karnataka government, which is eager to attract more investors and boost job creation, gives companies freedom to operate even if it means compromising labor practices, according to activists and elected officials.
A report from the state Department of Factories, Boilers, Safety and Industrial Health this week pointed to several violations by Wistron, including the failure to pay salary fees to cleaning staff, without explaining the repercussions of 12-hour work shifts. for its workers and gaps between factory practices and legal stipulations.
The report added that the company’s human resources department does not include “personnel with strong knowledge of labor laws.”
Apple Inc., for whom Wistron produced the iPhone-SE and iPhone-7 at this plant, has initiated an investigation to determine whether its manufacturing partner actually provided safe working conditions, treated workers with dignity, respect, acted in a manner fair and ethical as part of its supplier code of conduct policy.
The role of six contractors who allegedly diverted most of the wages paid to workers by the company is under investigation.
“We have only one thirty minute break and three 10 minute breaks in our 12 hour shifts, we work six days a week,” said the employee quoted above.
Promises to be paid ₹300 more a day if employees give up breaks, extra pay for working during festival holidays and other similar lures, workers and their families say, were never met.
An independent report presented by the Central Council of Indian Trade Unions (AICCTU) cites multiple violations, including the system of exploiting workers on behalf of contracts and the conditions under which they work, among other allegations.
“We bring the best practices from around the world to our plant and operations and want to protect the interests of workers. We will work together with the state government to ensure that plant operations are resumed as soon as possible,” Sudipto Gupta, Managing Director, Innovation Business Group at Wistron Smart Devices, said in a letter to the state government on Monday.
The company said it remains optimistic about its future in the state.
“We are committed to making electronics manufacturing successful in India, which is key to our global plans, and we look to expand our presence in this very important market as we move forward,” Gupta said in his letter.
Human Resources experts point out problems with the work culture that some of these companies bring with them from their countries of origin.
In 2014, at a press conference by the striking Toyota Kirloskar Motors workers union, an official said: “They were expected to work like the Japanese.”
The HR expert cited above says that Japanese and Swedish companies, among others, have done relatively well in making their work environments more inclusive than those in China and Taiwan, which often “build a wall” between Indian workers and top executives.
Much of the recruitment of these contract workers is done by word of mouth, and people in nearby villages waste little time accepting any available jobs in the many factories spread across the 700-acre Narasapura industrial area.
Several parents, whose children have been detained by the police, have been waiting outside the police district superintendent’s office, about 10 kilometers from the factory.
“My son used to waste his time playing volleyball and with friends and we forced him to take this job and now we can lose it if they put him in jail,” Ataullah says with teary eyes.
Her 21-year-old son, KAShoaib, was picked up on Sunday night by the police and is being held in a cell next to the SP office.
KS Narayana Swamy’s son and daughter also worked for Wistron and the boy is now in jail.
Anand shows a printout that clearly indicates that his relative, who is now in jail, was on leave on Saturday.
Karthik Reddy, Kolar’s superintendent, says about 26 people have been released so far and investigations are underway to determine the crimes, a claim refuted by families waiting outside his office.
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