Foxconn Zhengzhou strives to recruit workers after COVID-19 disrupts production

(ECNS) -- Foxconn Technology Group in central China's Zhengzhou, the world’s largest iPhone factory, is sparing no efforts to retain and recruit workers after a new round of COVID-19 disrupted production at the plant.

Thousands of people hauling suitcases fled the company compound late last month, prompting Apple to issue a rare statement warning of a slowdown in shipments of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

As the peak production season draws near, the plant has announced worker attendance incentives three times since October.

The factory increased attendance subsidies from 50 yuan ($7.09) to 100 yuan ($14.19) per day on Oct. 19, and the number jumped to 200 yuan on Oct. 30. According to the latest notice, the subsidies have surged to 400 yuan.

On Nov. 7, the Zhengzhou Foxconn IDPBG business group issued a pre-recruitment notice, saying that workers would get 30 yuan per hour. That incentive lasts until Feb.15, 2023.

Conventionally, Foxconn workers receive their salaries in two installments.

An employee who has worked 10 hours a day for 26 days a month will receive 7,800 yuan. He will get part of the salary on the 7th day of each month, which would be about two to three thousand yuan, and the remaining 5,000 yuan would be paid at the end of the next month on the condition that the employee is still on duty, which was regarded as a measure to discourage resignations.

However, according to the plant, employees can get the remaining part of their salaries now without being on duty the following month.

The announcement also noted that workers who resigned from Oct.10 to Nov. 5 will receive a one-time subsidy of 500 yuan if they are willing to come back.

Furthermore, workers employed from Nov. 9 to 19 will receive an additional 3,000 yuan allowance after working for 30 days.

Many labor agencies say that this would be the best worker treatment by the company in the last 10 years, reports the Beijing News.

Many of the workers who fled Foxconn’s gated compound in the past two weeks have received mobilization calls and messages from village cadres.

An intermediary said that as of the evening of Nov. 12, 1,900 people had registered for employment successfully, the Beijing News said.