Taking a serious view of recent food poisoning triggered hospitalisation of women workers engaged by Foxconn, the iPhone assembler in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu, Apple on Wednesday announced that it had put the unit “on probation”.
Women workers had staged a massive protest last week after inmates of the hostel where they were staying had to be hospitalised due to suspected food poisoning.
"We hold our suppliers accountable to the highest standards in the industry and regularly conduct assessments to ensure compliance. Following recent concerns about food safety and accommodation conditions at Foxconn Sriperumbudur, we dispatched independent auditors to undertake additional detailed assessments. We found that some of the remote dormitory accommodations and dining rooms being used for employees do not meet our requirements and we are working with the supplier to ensure a comprehensive set of corrective actions are rapidly implemented,” a statement attributed to Apple spokesperson said.
“Foxconn’s Sriperumbudur facility has been placed on probation and we will ensure our strict standards are met before the facility reopens. We will continue to monitor conditions closely,” it added.
Responding to the action, Foxconn Technology Group said, “We are very sorry for the issue our employees experienced and are taking immediate steps to enhance the facilities and services we provide at the remote dormitory accommodations.”
A statement issued by the company said, the safety and well being of employees is a top priority. “We have been investigating recent issues...and have found that some offsite dormitory facilities do not meet the required standards," the company acknowledged. "We are also restructuring our local management team and our management systems to ensure we can achieve and maintain the high standards that are needed,” it said.
According to the company, all employees will continue to be paid “while we make the necessary improvements before restarting our operations and we will continue to provide support for our employees as they return to work,” the company statement said.
