Foxconn Chennai plant reopens with better facilities for workers


Chennai: After being shut for close to a month, iPhone maker Foxconn today resumed operations at its Sriperumbudur factory near Chennai with a limited number of employees.

According to sources, the Taiwanese electronics major has improved facilities for workers.  In December, around 4,000 women took to the streets after over 250 Foxconn workers, predominantly women, suffered food poisoning in the facility dormitories. Many were hospitalised. At the protesting sites, they alleged that food at Foxconn’s dormitories was stale.

After the protests, the factory was shut on 18 December. Following an inspection by independent auditors at the off-shore dormitories, Apple Inc placed the Foxconn’s Sriperumbudur facility on probation.

The government urged Foxconn to ensure each employee had access to four litres of drinking water a day, adequate washrooms to avoid infections and inverter facilities. It also asked the company to ensure proper security arrangements and fencing of the premises that houses women.

Meanwhile, Foxconn said, ‘we continue to support our employees and thank them for their patience as we work through the improvements.’