Foxconn's iPhone manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu is in silent mode

After protest over food poisoning, employees want the company to improve facilities before they resume work

Nearly a fortnight after a food poisoning incident halted operations at the Foxconn iPhone manufacturing unit at Sipcot Industrial Park in Sriperumbudur, an uneasy calm prevails outside the plant. The security staff at the gate greet this correspondent cordially enough until they realise he is from the media. 

“Please mail. Only mail. We don’t know when the operations will start,” one guard says curtly, beginning to close the gates.

On December 15, almost 260 workers became ill with food poisoning at the Foxconn plant’s hostel in Tiruvallur and around 159 had to be hospitalised. Soon, there were rumours that eight