Apple’s contract manufacturer Wistron Corporation may take at least another month to restart full production at its Narsapura plant in Kolar district, according to sources.
iPhone manufacturer Wistron had on March 11 announced the resumption of its operations in Karnataka, almost three months after its workforce resorted to violence on December 14, 2020, for non-payment of salaries and overtime wages.
However, as of now, only people working in one shift are involved in phone assembling and production activities while workers deployed on the other two shifts are currently under training. They are engaged in learning and self-learning because the rest of Wistron’s assembly/ production lines are yet to become operational,” said a source.
“Currently, only one production line is active and we are making 500 to 600 iPhones a day, instead of the usual number of over 3,000 units. Other lines are yet to be set up fully and therefore full production might take place only after a month to six week’s time,” the source added.
Meanwhile, State labour ministry officials will visit Wistron plant to assess the situation after the company resumed operations.
State Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar told The Hindu, “I have asked my officials for a detailed report on Wistron’s current status. They will visit the plant to assess the company’s production readiness and also to gather employee information such as how many people have joined, how many more are expected to come on board and by when.”
According to reliable information, Wistron has already allowed over 6,000 of its contract workers to return to work, after cross-verifying their credentials and backgrounds while another 2,000 people have also completed the required screening and now waiting for a re-joining date.
“Some 1,000 people who were part of rioting have lost their jobs. However, all women employees have been taken back. Also, we feel safe and protected now as the management seems more responsible. We are also given proper conveyance and canteen facility,” said a woman employee of Wistron.
Wistron currently operates three eight-hour shifts with no over-time, as against two 8-hour shifts and 4-hour compulsory overtime duty that was the practice earlier.
