Wistron, a Taiwanese firm that manufactures iPhones for Apple Inc. at a Narasapura facility in Kolar, Karnataka, has already completed “stringent background checks” on over 6,000 of its contract workers. Most have been cleared to continue work, they said.
“A large number of Wistron’s 10,000 contract workers have responded favourably by furnishing the required documents... All those who have provided details have been verified and taken back to work. The company currently has an adequate number of workers to restart the plant,” Gaurav Gupta, Secretary, Industries and Commerce, told The Hindu .
Mr. Gupta said all issues had been resolved and the government wanted the plant to restart to safeguard the interests of everyone in the ecosystem, including the employees, the industry, and the ancillary units such as transport and catering. “We want the plant to restart soon. Unfortunately, the fiasco sent negative signals. We later realised that there were clear aberrations in terms of engaging the workers without basic checks, and not paying them salaries and overtime wages for many months,” he said.
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Wistron ramped up its workforce very rapidly and its Narasapura plant, started only in July 2020, had 10,000 people by October.
Wistron told the government that it had replaced its faulty attendance system and added that they would initially operate only eight-hour shifts. The company has also introduced an anonymous grievances reporting system so that its workers can report their issues directly, said Mr. Gupta.