iPhone Maker Hikes Pay Ahead of New Model Launch

Apple supplier Foxconn is ramping up efforts to recruit more workers for the world’s largest iPhone factory, ahead of the launch of a new model.

Foxconn says new workers at its plant in Zhengzhou, China will get bonuses of up to 3,000 yuan ($424; £343) if they stay in the job for at least 90 days.

Current employees who successfully refer a friend or family member will also qualify for an award, it says.

The iPhone 15 is expected to be launched in September.

Foxconn employees who refer a new recruit will now receive 500 yuan if the person stays at the company for a month, a post seen by the BBC on the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat said.

It marks the latest move by the Taiwan-based manufacturer to improve benefits for its workers at the huge plant – known as iPhone City.

A Foxconn spokesperson declined to comment when approached by the BBC.

Last year, hundreds of workers protested at the Zhengzhou plant over Covid restrictions and claims of overdue pay.

Videos, which were shared online in October, also showed people jumping a fence outside the Foxconn factory after it was locked down due to a coronavirus outbreak.

In November, Apple warned that shipments of the iPhone 14 would be delayed after Chinese officials locked down a district of Zhengzhou, where iPhone City is located.

The iPhone maker then recruited new workers with promises of higher bonuses.

However, one worker told the BBC that the contracts were changed so they could not get the subsidy promised, adding that they had been quarantined without food.

Foxconn said in response that “a technical error occurred during the onboarding process”, adding that the pay of new recruits was “the same as agreed (in the) official recruitment posters”.

The Zhengzhou plant employs more than 200,000 people, making Apple devices including the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.