Foxconn, one of the largest suppliers for Apple’s iPad and iPhone, experienced a big riot from its workers ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
More than 1,000 Foxconn workers were involved in the riot, with many injured and more than 10 arrested, according to reports by Taiwan’s Want China Times and Hong Kong Ming Pao on Tuesday.
What puzzles this incident is the conflicting report on the reason behind the riot.
According to Want China Times and Hong Kong Ming Pao, it was reported that the main cause was workers’ dissatisfaction with wages and the company's management of dormitory rooms.
On the other hand, however, the local government on Thursday denied that a riot at a Foxconn factory in Chengdu on Monday night was due to laborer wages and company management.
“The riot was triggered by a conflict between seven Foxconn workers and a restaurant owner.” said according a statement on scol.com, a website affiliated with the publicity department of local provincial government.
The statement said seven workers at the Foxconn factory in Chengdu had dinner in a restaurant near their dormitory at about 10:30 pm on Monday.
“Driven by the effects of alcohol, the workers began to damage facilities in the restaurant with wine bottles because they thought the quarrel between the restaurant owner and his wife had ruined their dining mood,” the statement added.
The restaurant owner then reportedly got into a conflict with the workers and a customer called police. Seeing this, the Foxconn workers began to run back to their dormitory building, shouting "they are beating us", the statement said.
The chaos quickly escalated and attracted up to 100 workers who later hurled trash bins, bottles, and pots from the upper floor of the dormitory. In addition, they fired off fireworks and destroyed public facilities, according to the statement.
Foxconn's spokesman Liu Kun also told reporters on Thursday that the incident was caused by several staff who got drunk in a small restaurant and began to throw things and someone called the police. He said the Sichuan government is handling the case, not Foxconn. He denied rumors it was a clash over wages or dorms.
The rioting was only suppressed after several hours by hundreds of police officers. Dozens of workers were arrested. No one was injured in the incident, according to the provincial government statement.
Foxconn is reportedly the world’s largest electronic contract manufacturer and supplies parts for Apple's iPhone and iPad. An explosion occurred in the factory in May last year, killing two workers and injuring 16 others.
Apple is opening this year's WWDC starting next Monday in Moscone Center in San Francisco.
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