When workers from the world's biggest iPhone factory were reported to walk home and, in a show of force, collectively refuse to work, the world took notice. Chinese officials are now scrambling to find a solution to the impending collapse of Apple's favorite supplier. Recent reports tell us that officials are now urging army retirees to work for Foxconn.
Foxconn has made headlines recently due to stringent virus restrictions and alleged employee mistreatment at its Zhengzhou plant, the largest iPhone factory in the world. The chain of events has disrupted production and raised questions about how China's virus policy will affect global supply chains. About 200,000 people work at the facility in the industrial center of China.
The South China Morning Post is the first to report that the veteran affairs office in Changge County, China, has posted an open letter that encourages retired personnel of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to work at Foxconn's facility in Zhengzhou.
Grasping at Straws?
The PLA is the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It also happens to be the world's largest military force and constitutes the second-largest defense budget in the world. What could be the main reason that the government is calling on PLA veterans to not take up arms but to work in the controversial factory in Zhengzhou?
According to reports, the Chinese county's move demonstrates how desperate local authorities are to restore the rate of production at Foxconn's manufacturing complex in Henan province.
The previously stated open letter was published on Tuesday, Nov. 15, and was disseminated in Changge. Changge is a county in Henan that has a population of 710,000 people and is administered by the city of Xuchang.
The open letter has especially urged retired army personnel to "answer the government's call" and "take part in the resumption of production."
To give a recap, thousands of workers at Foxconn left their posts when the factory basically enclosed them within a "closed loop" system where they exist solely to sleep, live, and work.
There were also claims that some personnel was sleeping in the factory workshops and that if a test revealed they had Covid or were close contacts, they might be placed in pretty appalling quarantine facilities.
People did not have sufficient access to food and medical care. People have sometimes become ill without anyone realizing it.
Fortune tells us that China locked down the "iPhone City" facility, and the closed-loop system left Foxconn's workers exposed to the virus and lacking basic necessities, which drove them to flee.
Extensive Measures
The provincial government of China's Henan province is taking an unusual step to maintain its place in Apple's supply chain by mobilizing its community governance system.
According to a recent Tech Times report, this is intended to help in the recruitment of employees for the world's largest iPhone plant, which is managed by Foxconn Technology Group in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital.
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Written by John lopez
