Largest iPhone Factory in the World Showers Daily Bonus to Survive COVID-19 Outbreak

Dream - Apple supplier, Foxconn Technology Group, claims to have raised the daily bonus for employees at the world's largest iPhone factory.

Quoted from South China Morning Post, Thursday, November 3, 2022, Foxconn raised the bonus for workers in the assembly division to 400 yuan or around Rp858 thousand per day.

This increase in daily bonus follows news of several Foxconn employees at the manufacturing plant in Zhengzhou, China, who fled after a small COVID-19 outbreak in the factory environment.

In an official statement posted on the WeChat social media platform on Tuesday, it was reported that a worker could receive more than 15,000 yuan as additional payment for full month's attendance.

The bonus is part of efforts to "gradually resume regular production" and a sign of "appreciation for our diligent colleagues," said Foxconn.

Taiwan-based Foxconn, which is a major supplier to Apple based in the United States, has hundreds of thousands of workers in the Zhengzhou complex.

The current type of coronavirus can spread quickly, but does not result in critical cases, said the leaders in the WeChat post.

The actions taken by Foxconn and the local government of Zhengzhou reflect a high sense of urgency to stabilize the manufacturing supply chain in the state.

Foxconn is one of the companies in Taiwan that employs over 300,000 workers in its large production complex and is known as one of the city's major taxpayers and exporters.

According to TF International Securities analyst Kuo Ming-chi, at least 10 percent of global iPhone production capacity is affected by the situation at Foxconn's Zhengzhou plant.

When COVID-19 cases emerged in the factory, the workers rushed out of the factory on foot, carrying their suitcases and bags.

A Foxconn worker, who declined to be named, said he left the Zhengzhou plant on Sunday afternoon after hearing the news that employees were allowed to leave. He said he was afraid of getting infected.

He walked for three hours with his belongings until he got a ride home to his hometown in the southern coastal area of Nanyang.

Upon arrival, he entered a quarantine hotel where he will stay for seven days.

Both Foxconn and the Zhengzhou government have not disclosed the number of workers who have left the factory or been infected with COVID-19.

Previously, Zhengzhou has also imposed a lockdown on its 10 million residents. The government has required people in certain areas to stay at home and directed others to limit their activities in the districts where they live.