Protests have damaged out at Foxconn’s huge iPhone manufacturing facility in Zhengzhou, central China, as footage circulating on social media reveals employees clashing with baton-wielding riot police and hazmat-suited officers. The protests began after employees, who’ve been below strict covid lockdown for weeks, discovered bonus funds could be delayed, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal experiences that protests began on Tuesday night close to Foxconn worker lodging on the Zhengzhou facility. Foxconn’s strict covid controls have reportedly remoted its staff, forcing them to reside and work on-site (with restricted meals and provides) with a view to stop additional outbreaks in Zhengzhou. Since October, many workers have escaped from the locked-down facility, main Foxconn to vow incentives like larger salaries and bonuses to retain workers.

Video footage captured on Wednesday reveals lots of of employees protesting on the campus, chanting “give us our pay” whereas surrounded by riot police and other people in hazmat fits. Livestream footage later that night time noticed protests escalating, with employees chanting “Defend our rights! Defend our rights!” as they confronted cops, in keeping with the Agence France-Presse news agency. “Foxconn never treats humans as humans,” said another person in a social media video on the scene.

Other employees captured on reside streams stated they had been protesting over meals shortages along with the delayed funds. “They changed the contract so that we could not get the subsidy as they had promised. They quarantine us but don’t provide food,” stated one Foxconn employee throughout a reside stream as reported by the BBC. “If they do not address our needs, we will keep fighting.”

Most of the video footage has already been eliminated however The Wall Street Journal experiences it has corroborated occasions proven within the movies with employees on the web site. The hashtag “Foxconn Riots” was additionally seemingly censored on the Chinese social media platform Weibo by Wednesday night time.