Apple supplier apologises for hiring blunder at Covid-hit plant in China

Apple's major supplier Foxconn has said a "technical error" occurred when hiring new recruits at a Covid-hit iPhone factory in China and apologised to workers after the company was rocked by fresh labour unrest.

"Our team has been looking into the matter and discovered a technical error occurred during the onboarding process," Foxconn said in a statement on Thursday, referring to the hiring of new workers.

"We apologize for an input error in the computer system and guarantee that the actual pay is the same as agreed and the official recruitment posters." It did not elaborate on the error.

Men smashed surveillance cameras and clashed with security personnel as hundreds of workers protested at the world's biggest iPhone plant in Zhengzhou city on Wednesday.

Workers said in videos circulated on social media that they had been informed that Foxconn intended to delay bonus payments.

Some workers also complained they were forced to share dormitories with colleagues who had tested positive for Covid.

The factory has been rocked by worker unrest and discontent since October.

READ MORE: Massive protests erupt at world's biggest iPhone factory in China

Resolving the dispute

The latest unrest has exposed communication problems and mistrust of Foxconn management among some staff, with some workers accusing the company of not acting effectively to curb the spread of Covid and then misleading them over wages.

The protests had died down by Thursday and the company was communicating with employees engaged in smaller protests, a Foxconn source familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.

The person said the company had reached "initial agreements" with employees to resolve the dispute and production at the plant continued on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Zhengzhou is conducting mass Covid testing as daily cases across China reach record highs, with cities nationwide imposing lockdowns and other curbs.

Home to over 200,000 workers, Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant has dormitories, restaurants, basketball courts and a football pitch across its sprawling roughly 1.4 million square metre facility.

The factory makes Apple devices including the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, and accounts for 70 percent of iPhone shipments globally.

Apple said it had staff at the factory and was "working closely with Foxconn to ensure their employees' concerns are addressed”.

READ MORE: Apple: Supplies hurt by China's Covid curbs, to produce 3M fewer iPhone 14