Thousands Of iPhones Looted, Loss Of Rs 437 Cr: Know About Violent Clash At Apple Karnataka Plant

A section of workers at Wistron Corporation's manufacturing facility in Narasapura Industrial Area in Kolar district near Bengaluru went on a rampage on Saturday over non-payment of their wages.

(File Photo/ Getty)

New Delhi: A week after violent clashes broke out at Apple Inc.'s supplier Wistron's Narasapura facility in Karnataka, the tech giant on Monday said that it is undertaking a detailed investigation over the incident in which the company suffered an estimated loss of around Rs 437 crore.  A section of workers at Wistron Corporation's manufacturing facility in Narasapura Industrial Area in Kolar district near Bengaluru went on a rampage on Saturday over non-payment of their wages. As per report by news agency PTI, the Taiwan-headquartered Wistron Corporation has said it suffered losses worth Rs 437.40 crore in the incident. "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. We are also dispatching additional Apple team members and auditors to the facility," Apple said in an emailed statement. Its teams are in close touch with the local authorities and it is offering full support to their investigation, the statement said. The Cupertino-based company has a strict supplier code of conduct and follows up on any reports of violations. Wistron's damage during violent clashes: Several media reports stated that the manufacturing unit suffered loss primarily due to theft of thousands of iPhones which were allegedly looted during the violent clashes and the damaged caused to Wistron's factory. Even Wistron said a large number of employees allegedly carried out arson, loot and violence at its Narasapura manufacturing plant, damaging the building and vehicles, and damaged costly equipment including machines and computers. The police have so far arrested 149 people and detained a few others. Besides the iPhone, Wistron also manufactures IT products for Lenovo and Microsoft, among others. Apple Inc.'s investigation policy: The Cupertino-based company has a strict supplier code of conduct and follows up on any reports of violations. In 2019, it interviewed more than 52,000 supplier employees as part of its supplier assessments. Apple, in its supplier code of conduct, states that suppliers must meet all legal requirements relating to wages and benefits, including paying accurate wages in a timely manner. In November, Apple Inc had suspended new business with one of its suppliers Pegatron Corp after labour violations were reported. Wistron is one of the 16 entities to have received approval for incentives under the government's production linked incentive plan. Currently, iPhone XR and iPhone 11 are being assembled by Foxconn in Chennai, and iPhone 7 by Wistron in Bengaluru. The Kolar facility assembles the latest version of the iPhone SE.