Hundreds of workers went on the rampage on Saturday morning at the production facility of a Taiwanese firm that manufactures iPhones near Bangalore over arbitrary salary cuts and long work hours without compensation.

Police detained 132 workers for vandalism at Wistron, a contract manufacturer of iPhones, at the Narsapura industrial area in Kolar district, some 75km from Bangalore.

A police source said they would also look into the workers’ allegations.

Deputy chief minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said: “Strict action will be taken against those who indulged in this mindless vandalism that damaged property on the premises.” He added: “The investigation will probe complaints about alleged salary deductions. If the workers have any such issue, they should first go to the labour commissioner or the district commissioner.”
Wistron did not issue a statement, and the company’s India managing director Sudipto Gupta did not respond to calls from this newspaper.

According to a worker who spoke to The Telegraph, employees had not been paid their full wages over the past three months and their pleas allegedly fell on deaf ears.

“We were hired as contract workers with a monthly salary of about Rs 16,000. But I was paid only Rs 11,000 last month. They always cite vague reasons like wrong punching (attendance) to cut our salaries,” said the 20-year-old from Kolar, who was at home when the violence erupted at 6.30am.

Video clips showed workers using whatever they could lay their hands on to smash glass cabins, window panes, security cameras in the foyer and what appeared to be a locker room. They also toppled parked vehicles and made bonfires of broken furniture. They left after the arrival of police who swung batons to disperse them.

“I joined the company eight months ago. As per the contract we were to work in eight-hours shifts. But they switched to 12-hours shifts three months ago, leaving us with no choice,” said a worker who feared retribution if he were to be identified.

“We have been made to work even on our festivals with the promise of overtime allowances. But once the work is done, our managers refuse to pay for the overtime and ask us to take a compensatory off,” said the worker, also from Kolar.