Apple who are desperate to get stock of their new iPhones into stores for the peak buying period, after COVID broke out at their manufacturing plants, are now facing riots among employees who want to flee the China based plant, because of work conditions, low wages the none payment of bonuses and the rolling out, of police to stop them leaving.

Yesterday Foxconn workers at the world’s biggest iPhone assembly plant in Zhengzhou China openly clashed with police with Apple now facing the real possibility that supplies of iPhones will be seriously disrupted running into the peak buying period.

Videos that have emerged overnight show hundreds of workers marching, with some confronted by people in hazmat suits and riot police.

Those livestreaming the protests said workers were beaten by police.

Foxconn said it would work with staff and local government to prevent further violence.

The facility employs more than 200,000 people many who have to live in dorms has been under strict Covid-19 controls for weeks.

One video shot near the factory buildings show more than a dozen police officers and men in white protective suits repeatedly punching a man and beating him with batons.

Employees at the plant said protests started in a dormitory area near the factory on Tuesday evening, after they learned expected bonuses would be delayed.

Protests then spread to other dormitory district as videos of the incident circulated, workers said.

In a statement Foxconn confirmed the violence was related to concerns some new workers had over their pay.

The company said it has always honoured its contractual obligations over pay and will communicate with employees and the government to prevent a repeat of the incident. Police responsible for the area declined to comment.

Staff claim that they have seen no attempts by Foxconn to bring the situation under control in the face of angry crowds.

“There’s basically no security in the factory campus,” he said. He said he and others had resorted to grabbing milk, bread and packets of instant noodles from supply points, as food services have stopped.

Apple didn’t respond to requests for comment on the protests.

Observers claim that the chaos in Zhengzhou is the result of wanting to satisfy Apple’s production demands.

Li Qiang, a spokesman for China Labor Watch blames Apple staff for letting the situation get out of control.

The Wall Street Journal claims that Foxconn initially offered bonuses for new recruits as it sought to restore operations after tens of thousands of workers were quarantined or confined to their dorms as part of China’s zero-Covid drill to crush the outbreak.

But as Foxconn tightened restrictions on the campus to keep assembly lines turning, thousands more workers fled because they feared catching the disease and amid rumours that infected people were being allowed to work so the company could meet its targets.

News agency and video-verification service Storyful verified the location of one of the videos.