11 Foxconn workers injured in brawl in China

11 Foxconn workers injured in brawl in China

TAIPEI - Eleven workers at Taiwan's Foxconn, which assembles products for Apple and other tech firms, were injured during a brawl near its plant in eastern China, the company said Monday.

The incident happened on the night of September 19 when two groups of workers began fighting after they were drinking in shops outside the plant in Yantai, Shandong province, to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival, it said.

About 400 people gathered to watch the brawl, during which 11 people suffered light injuries before the police were called in to quell the fight, a company statement said.

"There was no serious injury or death ... the company has educated those who got involved and the situation was resolved," it said, denying some reports that three people were killed in the fight.

Last year Foxconn temporarily shut a factory in northern Shanxi province after a brawl involving some 2,000 workers.

Foxconn is the world's largest maker of computer components and assembles products for Apple, Sony and Nokia, among others.

The company has come under the spotlight after suicides and labour unrest at its Chinese plants in recent years.

In 2010, at least 13 Foxconn employees in China died in apparent suicides, which activists blamed on tough working conditions, prompting calls for better treatment of staff.

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