Foxconn workers held for trying to make forced entry

Company had suspended ops on December 20 at Sriperumbudur factory for lack of orders

Hundreds of workers at FIH India Pvt Ltd, formerly known as Foxconn India Private Limited, were arrested on Monday when they tried to force their entry into the factory, which remains closed since December 20. The company had announced suspension of operations citing lack of orders. It had also said it would offer voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to employees, an offer rejected by the workers.

E Muthukumar, president of Foxconn India Employees Union, said about 250 people tried to enter the factory out of whom 168 were arrested.

Police officials said the workers were taken under preventive arrest and would be released in the evening.

The tussle between the management and workers continues with both sides sticking to their stands. According to the management, it cannot run the factory without adequate orders and it has urged the workers to accept the VRS or severance package.

A fourth round of tripartite talks between the management, union leaders and the assistant labour commissioner of Sriperumbdur remained inconclusive on Friday. The next meeting is scheduled for December 31.

Union leaders said the labour department has asked the company not to stop workers from coming to the factory, and that the firm can suspend operations only after completing the necessary procedures. Company officials could not be reached for comments on this.

“We asked them not to suspend the operations just because Nokia has stopped operations. The labour department also asked them not to deny work to the employees, since it is against the law. The labour office has asked the company to bring an official who can take decisions, to the meeting scheduled on Tuesday,” said A Soundararajan, honorary president, Foxconn India Employees Union.

The company, in a notice displayed at the boundary of the facility, said: “We are not able to give jobs to all the workers, since we don’t have orders... Since the management has declared a holiday for the factory, workers are asked not to come to the factory.” It added the company was trying to find a solution through dialogue and requested the workers to have patience and be co-operative.

According to the company, it has been going through a bad patch since March. Initially, the order crunch affected regular work for about 100 workers and gradually it affected 850. However, salary was not kept on hold, it added.

The company had earlier said it would have to suspend operations if the situation did not improve. It attributed the order crunch to a change in the facility’s customer base and a related change in the manufacturing requirements of its customers in India. It said it is working with the government and relevant labour unions, following the relevant laws and that it has been fair to 1,700-odd employees who will be affected by the move.

One of Foxconn’s key customers was Nokia, which suspended operations from November. Nokia’s plant, which employed 8,000 workers directly and another 21,000 indirectly, had to shut its plant following a tax dispute that prevented its transfer to Microsoft, which bought the Finnish company’s handset business early this year.