FOSHAN, CHINA-- Foxconn workers reportedly numbering in the thousands last week staged protests over wages and planned relocation inland.

As many as seven thousand employees were involved in the protests, which took place outside the gates to the Foxconn Premier Image Technology campus, a Foxconn subsidiary located near Guangzhou, Reuters reported.

As wages in southeastern China have moved higher, in large part due to changes in minimum wages and low unemployment rates, Foxconn has responded by investing in factories inland and reducing its dependence on the coastal regions.

A spokesman at Foxconn parent company Hon Hai reportedly acknowledged some protests but denied they were organized.