Reuters reported that more than 20,000 workers left Foxconn’s iPhone assembly plant in Zhengzhou, China, amid concerns about the coronavirus spreading within the facility. A Foxconn source cited the risk as the reason for the mass departure and the disruption to operations.
The exit of such a large number of staff is expected to impact Foxconn’s ability to restart production at full scale by the end of November. The timing of the departures followed weeks of unrest at the Zhengzhou facility, including clashes among workers and ongoing tensions at Apple’s main factory site in China.
Foxconn later apologized, saying the disruption stemmed from a technical error linked to the accrual of bonuses for new hires. Information about these bonuses helped fuel discontent and contributed to the unrest reported at the plant.
Observers noted long lines of buses forming on the plant grounds as workers prepared to leave the site, underscoring the scale of the departure and the challenge for the company to maintain operations.
Earlier reports indicated that Foxconn had promised monetary compensation of about 1,400 dollars to those who remained and returned to work, as part of a broader effort to quell the protests and stabilize production. This commitment was cited as a key factor in attempts to steady the workforce and resume output in coming weeks.