Wintek claims end to strike, no production impact
updated 09:35 am EST, Thu January 21, 2010
No comment on equipment damage
A strike at a Wintek plant in Suzhou, China is over, the manufacturer says. Workers first walked off the job on January 15th, ostensibly over the lack of a Lunar New Year bonus. In a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange, Wintek writes that the strike has been ended by agreeing to reinstate the bonus. Production and capacity have been unaffected, it notes.
The filing fails to address several concerns however, most notably accusations that people have been poisoned or even killed at the plant through chronic exposure to hexane. Workers further complain of being overworked yet underpaid. Wintek's claims of uninterrupted production may be questionable, as media reports say that strikers damaged equipment and vehicles at the beginning of the walkout.
Wintek supplies touchscreens for the iPhone. It has been worried that the strike could interrupt deliveries, affecting not only Wintek profits but those of Apple. Some Wintek hardware may be present in Apple's upcoming tablet.
