Wintek, the Taiwanese hardware company which supplies mobile screen components to Apple’s iPhones and iPod Touch as well as Nokia’s touchscreen phones, has been exposed by China’s state television network CCTV for hazardous work conditions and disputes over bonus payments. According to local reports, the Wintek factory in Suzhou, Jiangsu province ground to a halt in mid-January as employees were protesting over the N-hexane poisoning incident, which killed at least four workers due to overexposure to hexane. The remaining 45, who had showed symptoms of hexane poisoning, are currently undergoing treatment at a Suzhou hospital. It was claimed that toxic chemical workers had been asked to use for cleaning touch panels instead of alcohol.
“The truth has been hidden from public view. There are people dying from long-term exposure to the toxicant used in the factory but no one is paying attention to that. There needs to be further investigation,” a worker surnamed Zhu, who took part in Friday’s gathering yet declined to give his full name, told China Daily. “What we feel angry about is the company authorities’ apathy to our workers’ health,” he added. He also said that one of his colleagues, Li Liang, was one of the four victims, but the company told them Li had died of congenital heart disease. “That was impossible because we never heard him having such a disease. It must have to do with the toxicant because there was a strong smell at the factory,” he said in response to the company’s swift statement. Jiao Tan, Li’s college roommate, also told China Daily that “Li was very healthy and never had any heart problem before.”
Meanwhile, Zhang Lisheng, the deputy general manager of Wintek China, is reported as saying that allegations which claimed that the employees’ protest was to do with the N-hexane poisoning were entirely false. He said that it was mainly due to the company’s cancellation of year-end bonus, which has sparked unhappiness among workers. On January 15, 2,000 of its 10,000 workforce went on a strike, which involved the smashing vehicles and factory facilities despite explanations from management and local government officials. The workers also blocked a road and threw stones at police.
Reports from various sources revealed that workers at such factories in China are treated as “slaves”. Working for long hours but receiving a meagre pay and poor food provided by the company is a common sight. In May 2009, the Taiwan Labor Organization went to protest at Apple’s office in Taiwan, accusing Wintek Corporation, the parent company of Wintek for turning a deaf ear to employees’ welfare, offering bad working conditions, and cutting staff illegally.
Via Tech163, ChinaTechNews, ChinaDaily