Less than 100 workers of Foxconn return to one of the dormitories, operations to resume in phased manner

Less than 100 workers at Foxconn’s plant in Sriperumbudur have returned to one of the dormitories. The plant is likely to reopen on January 12, however resuming of operations with the full 15,000 workforce will take some more months, as corrective measures have to be implemented in full, according to sources, besides there is a change in local management.

The plant which makes Apple iPhones, was shut down last month after a food poisoning incident affected more than 100 women workers. Apple has placed the plant on probation and Foxconn has apologised for the incident, while assuring of corrective action.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said in the assembly on Friday that the plant would reopen on January 12 with 500 workers.

“For the past several weeks’ teams from Apple, along with independent auditors, have been working with Foxconn to ensure a comprehensive set of corrective actions are implemented in the offsite accommodations and dining rooms at Sriperumbudur. Workers will start to return gradually as soon as we are certain our standards are being met in every dormitory and dining area,” an Apple spokesperson said on Monday.

Foxconn’s Sriperumbudur facility remains on probation and we will continue to monitor conditions very closely, he added.

“We have been working on a series of improvements to fix issues we found at the offsite dormitory facilities at Sriperumbudur and to enhance the services we provide to our employees. We have implemented a range of corrective actions to ensure this cannot happen again and a rigorous monitoring system to ensure workers can raise any concerns they may have, including anonymously,” Foxconn said in a statement.

“We will gradually begin to welcome back team members as each offsite dormitory becomes ready and is approved. We continue to support our employees and thank them for their patience as we work through the improvements,” it added.

Tamil Nadu administration have also held talks with Foxconn management and instructed them to ensure all safety norms are in place.