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BANGALORE: Authorities vowed to crack down on workers who committed a violent uproar at a Taiwan-run iPhone factory in South India over allegations of non-payment of wages and exploitation, with 100 people arrested so far.
Workers rioted on Saturday (December 12) at the Wistron Infocomm Manufacturing facility on the outskirts of Bangalore, India’s IT hub, with videos of the violence showing smashed glass panels with rods and cars overturned on their side.
Closed circuit television cameras, fans and lights were shot down, while a car caught fire, images shared on social media showed.
Local media reported that the workers said they had not been paid for up to four months and were forced to take additional shifts.
“The situation is now under control. We have formed special teams to investigate the incident,” local police told AFP on Sunday, adding that no one was injured.
Karnataka State Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnarayan called the violence “rampant” and said his government will make sure the situation is “resolved quickly”.
“We will ensure that all workers’ rights are properly protected and that all their quotas are settled,” he tweeted on Saturday.
Wistron in Taiwan told AFP that “the incident was caused by people of unknown identities from outside who broke into and damaged its facilities with unclear intentions.”
The company added in the Chinese statement that it “committed to following local labor (laws) and other related regulations” to resume operations as soon as possible.
A local union leader alleged that there was “brutal exploitation” of factory workers in exploitative conditions at the iPhone manufacturing plant.
“The state government has allowed the company to circumvent basic rights,” Satyanand, who uses a name, told The Hindu newspaper.
The factory employs some 15,000 workers, although most of them are hired through personnel firms, according to local media.
Labor unrest is not uncommon in India, where workers receive low wages and receive little or no social security benefits.
A considerable number of manufacturing plants are part of the informal sector, which employs 90 percent of the great nation’s workforce.
In September, parliament passed updated labor laws that the national government said would strengthen their rights, but labor activists say the new legislation makes it difficult for workers to strike.
