Still waiting for that iPhone 5? You might have to wait a little longer. Now that Apple has safely made it over the initial shortage of units that caused them to push deliveries out sometimes for up to two weeks, Foxconn’s quality control workers have complicated that by going on strike.
While my own iPhone 5 was delivered it perfect condition, some customers are complaining of theirs being delivered with dings and scratches. After spending that type of money and incurring that much of a waiting time, that’s not okay. It needs to be fixed. In what seems like a direct response to those complaints, the quality control workers on the iPhone 5 line at the Foxconn plant have not been allowed time off for the holiday and have been forced into strict quality control standards without having the necessary training.
Workers on the quality control line were fed up with their treatment and went on strike. They felt the increased quality control was putting too much stress on them. The strike caused iPhone 5 production lines to be held up for the whole day. The extra quality control guidelines added stress that caused in-fighting between the workers and quality control inspectors, ending with an inspection room being damaged and people being injured, some of them severe enough to require hospitalization. Management was made aware of the problem, but reportedly chose to ignore it. The in-fighting only continued, amounting in the strike by inspectors.
There’s no word from Apple yet on what it will mean to delivery dates and the supply of iPhone 5s. They normally try to downplay such things, so I’m not holding my breath waiting for a statement.
Photo Credit: Ye Fudao/worker for Foxconn
