Workers strike at Foxconn supplier in China

More than 1,000 workers reportedly went on strike at a Foxconn supplier in China demanding better pay. Riot police are said to have responded by suppressing the protest.

The workers strike occurred at a company called Jiangxi Xin Hai Yang Precision Components, located in the city of Fengcheng, according to labour protection group Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM). The strike started last Thursday and then continued into the next day, causing a large crowd of workers to block access to a main street in the city.

Chinese media reports and microblogs posted pictures of the protest, showing riot police gathered in the streets. A video of the event was also posted online.

But contrary to initial media reports, Foxconn said the supplier Jiangxi Xin Hai Yang Precision Components was not a part of the company.

Foxconn is aware of a “workplace issue” that occurred at the supplier, the company said in a statement on Sunday without elaborating. It has asked the supplier to work with the employees and the local government to resolve the matter.

Jiangxi Xin Hai Yang Precision Components was contacted on Monday, but the company said its spokesperson was not available and declined to comment.

Worker strikes and even riots have previously occurred at Foxconn’s own factories in China. Last September, 2,000 workers at the company’s plant in Taiyuan, China, rioted after a brawl erupted between employees and security guards.

The city of Fengcheng said its mayor visited Jiangxi Xin Hai Yang Precision Components on Friday, but made no mention of the workers’ strike. In a website posting, the city government said the supplier manufactures computers, servers, printers, mobile phones, and employs 5,500 people.

“Industries that want to manage, and improve efficiency, must also at the same time put their people first and pay more care to their workers’ lives,” the post added.

Workers at the factory make a base salary of 1300 yuan ($198) a month, but can earn up to 2,600 yuan during the peak production season when overtime is included, according to SACOM.