Wistron Corporation, following the December 12 violence and vandalism, has suffered loss worth Rs 437.40 crore at its Narasapura manufacturing facility in Karnataka. A large number of employees alleged carried out arson, loot and violence over wage-related issues.
Sudipto Gupta, MD of Wistron India, in an official statement said the company was in a state of deep shock by the events at its Narasapura facility. “We follow the law and are supporting the authorities with their investigation,” he said. “The safety and well-being of our team members is always our top priority.
Apple Inc, in a statement on Monday, said it has launched an investigation into the worker violence. “Apple is dedicated to ensuring everyone in our supply chain is treated with dignity and respect. We have teams on the ground and immediately launched a detailed investigation at Wistron’s Narasapura facility in India,” it said. The iPhone company has also dispatched additional team members and auditors to the facility.
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About 7,000 people, as per various media reports, have been booked in connection with the violence and vandalism at the Wistron facility. The company in its FIR stated that it sustained losses of over Rs 437.7 crores. Sources, as per TOI, said the employees were angry that the company was not paying the amount that was promised to them at the time of joining. About 2,000 employees who were exiting the facility, after completing the night shift, went on a rampage destroying the company’s furniture, assembly units and also set vehicles on fire.
“This is a one-off incident which has the potential to tarnish India’s image. We urge the local authorities for an immediate and decisive action which sends a message to the global community on India’s tough stand on this aberration. India has very well laid out grievance redressal platforms and laws to protect the interest of workers. And in this context this incident is unfortunate and the culprits need to be brought to book” said Nitin Kunkolienker, President, MAIT – India’s APEX electronics Industry association representing the IT, Mobile, Datacom, Consumer Electronics, White Goods, Industrial Electronics and Services subsectors of Electronics industry.
The Narasapura facility is a new unit from where Wistron started the assembly of the iPhone SE (2020). The plant, which opened in July this year, is spread over 43 acres, and was built with an investment of Rs 3,000 crore.
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