Chinese authorities call on retired soldiers to help Foxconn iPhone plant

Apple last week lowered its forecast for shipments of the premium iPhone 14 model due to the situation

Local authorities in China's Henan province are urging retired soldiers and government workers to take on stints at Foxconn's iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, the official Shanghai Securities News reported on Tuesday.

The plant, the world's largest iPhone manufacturing facility, has been hit by discontent over government mandated measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, which required the company to isolate many workers but also prompted many others to flee in recent weeks.

The calls to retired workers have come from authorities in cities such as Jiyuan and Kaifeng, who are saying that those who take up the offer will be eligible to receive their current salary plus wages and bonuses from the factory, the publication said in a piece on its official WeChat account.

foxconn china

A staff member wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) disinfects a factory at Industrial Park of Foxconn on November 6, 2022 in Zhengzhou, Henan Province of China. The Foxconn plant offers accommodation and regular healthcare services for worker (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)

In Jiyuan, for example, public sector workers can receive a bonus of 800 yuan ($112.9) after signing up for the job, and a further 3,000 yuan ($423.5) bonus after completing 30 days of work, on top of factory wages and their current salary, it said, citing an unnamed junior government official.

CHINA'S COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS SLOWING IPHONE 14 PRODUCTION, APPLE SAYS

Foxconn declined to comment on the hiring schemes, and also declined to give further updates on the Zhengzhou plant's manufacturing status.

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NO EASY FIX FOR CHINA AS ECONOMY SLOWS MORE THAN EXPECTED

Apple last week lowered its forecast for shipments of the premium iPhone 14 model due to the situation. Reuters last month reported that Foxconn's production of Apple's iPhones at the Zhengzhou factory could slump by as much as 30% in November.

foxconn

An employee collects daily necessities and anti-epidemic supplies from a service point of Foxconn on November 3, 2022 in Zhengzhou, Henan Province of China. The Foxconn plant offers accommodation and regular healthcare services for workers who are wi (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Earlier this month, Foxconn quadrupled bonuses for workers who stayed and also began a recruitment drive that advertised higher than usual salaries.

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Truck with materials in the back drives in front of the Foxconn sign

A truck passes by a compound of the electronics manufacturer Foxconn, which is under strict access control to prevent Covid-19, in Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong province Saturday, Sept. 03, 2022.  (AH CHI/ Feature China/Future Publishing via Getty Images / Getty Images)

On Tuesday, the Henan Daily reported that the factory received its first batch of new workers on Nov. 13.