Rebellion in Apple partner factory in China

According to a Bloomberg source, after being “stuck” in a closed loop for nearly two months, many workers at the Quanta factory asked for more freedom and began to rebel against their supervisor. Hundreds of employees clashed with security because they were worried that if the blockade continued, the supply would be exhausted. They spilled over the fences to go outside in search of daily necessities.

Over the weekend, Chinese media reported that a group of workers broke into the residence of Quanta’s Taiwanese managers after a dispute over the length of the lockdown and their income.

One worker said that people feel frustrated and tired because of the control measures. This is inevitable, especially when it’s unclear when it will all end.

Quanta and Apple declined to comment on the Bloomberg story. In April, Quanta wrote in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange that it was suspending production in Shanghai and complying with local government measures to protect employees.

Shanghai is home to many large corporations, from Tesla to General Motors. Most factories here and around have switched to “closed-bubble” mode since the end of March, a mechanism seen by the government as an effective method to prevent Covid-19 from spreading while maintaining economy. Accordingly, employees will stay at the factory or nearby housing areas.

The effects of the blockade are becoming increasingly apparent. China’s largest chip maker and a major iPhone assembly partner has forecast cuts for the second quarter. Apple – Quanta’s largest customer – estimates that Covid-19 restrictions in China and other supply chain disruptions will cost the company about $ 8 billion in sales. Even billionaire Pony Ma, co-founder of Tencent, shared an article about the economic costs of strict zero-Covid measures.

Quanta’s Shanghai facility is both a workplace and a temporary residence for unskilled migrant workers from around the country, as well as high-income engineers from Taiwan. Before the Covid epidemic, workers would change shifts to produce MacBooks and other laptops in a nearby factory. A standard dormitory room for 12 people, sleeping on bunk beds.

In the early days of the blockade in April, Quanta had to close most of the factory and “lock” workers in dormitory rooms. Production had a limited recovery after a “closed bubble”. The company still paid a base salary of about 3,000 yuan that month.