Apple supplier Foxconn apologises for hiring blunder at Covid-hit China plant

Apple’s major supplier Foxconn said on Thursday a “technical error” occurred when hiring new recruits at a Covid-hit iPhone factory in China and apologised to workers after the company was rocked by fresh labour unrest.

Men smashed surveillance cameras and windows as hundreds of workers protested at the plant in Zhengzhou city on Wednesday, in rare scenes of open dissent in China sparked by claims of overdue pay and frustration over severe Covid-19 restrictions.

Workers said on videos circulated on social media that they had been informed that Foxconn intended to delay bonus payments. Some workers also complained they were forced to share dormitories with colleagues who had tested positive for Covid.