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Foxconn insists the riot started over a ‘personal dispute’, but Chinese bloggers claim it was due to a worker being beaten by security guards.
The 2,000-strong riot took place yesterday in Foxconn’s Taiyan plant in China, and 40 people ended up in hospital.
PCR reported earlier today that Foxconn had released a statement saying the fight broke out “amongst workers from different production lines.”
However, posts which appeared on Sina Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, indicated that the riot started because security guards beat a Foxconn work, some stated ‘nearly to death’.
As China’s state-run Xihua news agency confirms Foxconn’s official statement, a number of the original posts on Sina Weibo have disappeared.
Popular Chinese site Baidu Taiba, which is a bulletin board style service, also pointed to the riot having started due to a security guard hitting an employee.
Last night’s rioting comes just 11 days after an undercover journalist for the Shanghai Evening Post criticised working conditions at the plant, which employs around 79,000 workers. The journalist reported bullying by managers and all-but-compulsory overtime.
Foxconn is well known for manufacturing components for various smartphones, cars and gadgets including Apple’s iPhone 5.
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