Fight causes China manufacturing company to shut down
September 24, 2012
China's Apple iPhones creator, Foxconn, was forced to suspend production after a massive fight erupted, and eventually involved approximately 2,000 employees and injured 40, according to MSNBC.
The fight started on Sunday night, and reportedly 5,000 officers were dispatched to the scene at the factory in the northern city of Taiyuan. The cause of the brawl is still under investigation. The factory employees 79,000 workers who help create automobile electronic components as well as parts and assembling Apple's iPhone 5, according to the news source.
The dispute started around 11 p.m. local time, and the police were able to get everything under control by 3 a.m.
"The cause of this dispute is under investigation by local authorities and we are working closely with them in this process, but it appears not to have been work-related," Foxconn said in a statement.
According to The Associated Press, the fight is believed to not be work-related and it is rumored that it was sparked after a security guard hit an employee. Video footage that was released on a number of Chinese blogs showed broken windows, a car on fire and thousands of police officers with helmets and shields.
Foxconn first was put under fire after a series of complaints accusing the factory of offering low wages and long working hours, the media outlet reports. The company assured individuals they would raise minimum pay and also limit hours starting in March, this came up after an auditor discovered employees were require to work more than 60 hours a week.
Those who want to discuss the brawl can make calls to China using international calling cards.