Workers brawl at Foxconn factory in China

The Taiwan firm Foxconn is the world`s largest maker of computer components for top brands like iPad Samsung,Sony, Dell.

Beijing: At least 40 people were injured in a brawl between workers at an Foxconn plant, which assembles products for Apple and other tech firms, in northern China, prompting the local government to call in over 5,000 policemen to quell the unrest.

The condition of the three of the injured was stated to be serious, while most of the others sustained simple injuries, a senior official with the government of Taiyuan City, said. The fight started at 11 pm last night in the site`s dormitory zone in Taiyuan, attracting more than 10,000 spectators and triggering chaos, according to the city`s public security bureau. Around 5,000 policemen were sent to the scene, bringing it under control at 9 am today. An initial investigation found that the fight broke out as workers from Shandong Province clashed with those from Henan Province, state-run Xinghua news agency reported. In China, people from the same hometown often unite together, and if one of them is offended, his hometown people are likely to fight back on his behalf. The government official denied media reports that there had been a halt in the plant`s production work, with the plant still in operation today. The Taiwan firm Foxconn, the world`s largest maker of computer components, for top brands like iPad Samsung, Sony, Dell and others faced criticism on harsh working conditions two years ago after a string of suicides by several Chinese factory employees. The company currently employed about one million employees in its different factories in China. PTI