iPhone Manufacturing Plant In India Vandalized By Employees, 80 People Arrested

The employees of the Narsapura plant on Saturday turned violent over their salaries - a matter that has been heating up for months. Protesting against the company’s management, the employees pelted stones at the office building, broke glasses and other office equipment’s and burned down a vehicle and a company named glow-sign board.

(Photo Illustration by Alex Tai/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Employees of Taiwanese technology giant Wistron Corporation, on Saturday morning in Bangalore, vandalized the facility's premises, over alleged non-payment of salaries. While the company is yet to respond to the incident, the Karnataka government strongly condemned it. The employees of the Narsapura plant on Saturday turned violent over their salaries - a matter that has been heating up for months. Protesting against the company’s management, the employees pelted stones at the office building, broke glasses and other office equipment’s and burned down a vehicle and a company named glow-sign board. According to media reports, a trade union leader alleged that most of the employees are on contract, not paid on time and are facing many deductions. The local police soon took control of the situation, soon after the violence broke out. According to IGP Central Seemanta Kumar, the police has arrested 80 people and the situation is under control. "The incident took place early this morning when shifts were changing. We are being told there was a scuffle regarding salary non-payment. We are investigating thoroughly, have taken the CCTV footage. Have already arrested 80 people," Seemanta Kumar said. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr C Ashwathnarayan condemned the violence in a series of tweets. "It is imperative that nobody takes the law in their own hands. There are appropriate forums to resolve such issues without indulging in this wanton violence," Ashwathnarayan, who is also the state IT and Biotechnology Minister, said. Promising that all worker’s rights will be “duly protected” and dues will be cleared, the deputy CM added that strict action will be taken against “errant elements”. Taiwan based Wistron Corporation is the contract manufacturer of Apple in India. The tech giant in India manufactures iPhone 7 and IT products for Lenovo, Microsoft, among others. At the Nasapura production facility near Bangalore, the company employees around 2,000 people.