An iPhone manufacturing plant in India run by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., better known as Foxconn, has been temporarily shut down following complaints of substandard living and working conditions.

The workers at the factory in Tamil Nadu went on strike on Dec. 17 after 250 of the workers were sickened by what they said was tainted food. According to Reuters, the food poisoning incident may have prompted workers to go on strike, but the plant itself has much larger issues.

Employee complaints include being crammed into crowded dormitories where some are forced to sleep on the floor. In some cases, workers claimed that they had toilets but no running water. Food provided to employees is also said to have been crawling with worms.

“People living in the hostels always had some illness or the other — skin allergies, chest pain, food poisoning,” one worker told Reuters. “We didn’t make a big deal out of it because we thought it will be fixed. But now, it affected a lot of people.”

Surprisingly, both Apple Inc. and Foxconn have confirmed some of the issues, saying that some of the dorms and dining rooms did not meet the required standards. The facility has now been placed “on probation,” with Apple saying it will ensure its standards are met before the plant reopens.

Local laws governing workers in Tamil Nadu require that each person must be allocated at least 120 square feet of living space with housing that adheres to hygiene and fire safety standards.

Foxconn said that it was restructuring its local management team and taking immediate steps to improve the situation. The company also said all employees would continue to be paid while the factory remained shut down.

The plant opened in 2019 as part of a move by Apple to shift production away from China amid tensions between the Middle Kingdom and the U.S.

The factory shutdown will affect iPhone supplies but by how much will depend on how long the factory remains shut. Apple has been increasing iPhone production this year thanks to strong demand, asking suppliers to increase production by 20% in July.

Photo: Max Pixel