First investigation into Wistron violence in India reveals ‘labor violations’

An Indian labor bureau’s preliminary investigation into violence last weekend at a factory run by supplier Apple Wistron revealed multiple violations by the Taiwanese company and its suppliers, according to its report reviewed by Reuters .

Angry workers who complained about the unpaid wages for months destroyed equipment and iPhones on Saturday at the Wistron factory, about 50 km from the Bengaluru technology center, costing the company millions of dollars. company and forced her to shut down the site.

An audit of the factory, hours after the rampage, revealed “several violations of labor law,” said the labor department of Kolar district in Karnataka state, where the factory is located, in his report.

Wistron, one of Apple’s major global subcontractors, did not respond to a request for comment on the report, which was not made public.

Apple, which is conducting its own audit to determine whether Wistron violated vendor guidelines, also did not respond to a request for comment.

The labor office said Wistron was not maintaining appropriate employment and that appointment details for its workers and staff who worked 12-hour shifts at the Kolar plant were not being paid for the hours. additional.

The company did not keep pay and attendance records as required by law, and contract staff were unhappy with non-payment of wages for overtime work, the office said, adding that Wistron did not had not submitted these records upon request.

The report also cited three of Wistron’s labor suppliers – Creative Engineers, Quess Corp and Addeco India – for exceeding hiring quotas allowed by government rules.

Quess Corp and Addeco did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and the creative engineers could not be reached.

The inspection also found that a glitch in an attendance machine or software had led workers to complain that they were not receiving their full wages.

“This has been brought to the attention of management, and it has not been resolved,” the office said.

The investigation, although initial, confirmed the grievances of workers at the plant, a half-dozen of whom were questioned by Reuters.

The auditors asked Wistron to submit certain documents to the labor office within three days. It was not clear if Wistron complied with the request.

The Karnataka state government said this week it would help Wistron restart operations and address workers’ concerns.

He also did not comment on the report’s findings.

The unions, however, criticized the state for “being kind” to the company and not having sympathy with the staff who worked in “conditions similar to those of a sweatshop”.

The episode is a blow to local Wistron production and tarnishes Apple’s reputation in a key growing market.