Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant is offering a 5,000 yuan subsidy for employees who keep working January 1-March 20

Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant is offering a 5,000 yuan subsidy for employees who keep working in key roles from January 1 to March 20, reports the South China Morning Post.

The plant belong to Apple’s main manufacturing partner is still struggling to resume full capacity after workers clashed with guards over COVID-19 controls last month. Since then, the sudden relaxation of China’s zero-COVID policy by Beijing has led to a surge in infections across the country.

From the South China Morning Post: According to a WeChat post published by Foxconn’s integrated Digital Product Business Group, the division responsible for iPhone production, the Zhengzhou plant is offering a 5,000 yuan subsidy for employees in key manufacturing department roles from January 1 to March 20, a 4,700 yuan subsidy for those in non-key roles, and 4,500 yuan for workers in other departments.

The company said it will provide a list of employees who qualify for the subsidy on March 10. The bonuses will be paid on March 20, while workers will need to be a valid employee as of that date to receive the subsidy, according to its WeChat post.

The Zhengzhou facility also extended its “show up” bonus payments for employees. Workers are entitled to a 6,000 yuan bonus if they work more than 23 days in January 2023, according to the factory’s notice.

Due to China’s problems with COVID, the TrendForce research group has lowered its estimates of iPhone 14 device shipments to 78.1 million units this year. As a result of COVID, the capacity utilization rate of Foxconn’s base has yet to risen above the level of 70%, adds the research group. The outbreak in Zhengzhou was at its worst just as Apple was trying to ramp up sales of the new iPhone models for this year (i.e., the iPhone 14 series) to a peak.