Protests have erupted at the world’s biggest iPhone factory in China, according to footage circulating on social media.
Employees at the plant in the city of Zhengzhou were confronted by rows of police in white protective suits with plastic riot shields, videos showed.
One person was seen being hit in the head with a club and another was taken away with his arms held behind his back. Other videos showed protesters spraying fire extinguishers toward police.
Postings on social media said they were protesting unspecified contract violations.
The factory operator, Foxconn Technology Group, earlier said it was using “closed-loop management,” which refers to employees living at their workplace with no outside contact.
It follows a walk-out last month by thousands of employees over complaints about alleged inadequate anti-virus protection and lack of help for co-workers who fell ill.
Foxconn had yet to respond to a request for comment about the situation at the factory, which it has said employs 200,000 people. The company has promised high wages and better working conditions to attract new workers to the factory.
It comes as China continues to battle the spread of Covid through strict lockdowns.
Protests have flared as the severity of outbreaks has risen across the country, including in Beijing.
The government on Wednesday said more than 253,000 coronavirus cases have been found in the past three weeks and the daily average was increasing.
Foxconn said that newly hired staff had expressed concerns about work allowance and that communications will continue with anyone appealing their contract.
The company also said that nobody with Covid-19 is living at the campus.
A statement added: “Regarding any violence, the company will continue to communicate with employees and the government to prevent similar incidents from happening again.”
