ZHENGZHOU, CHINA -- Are they working or aren't they?

Foxconn today disputed a report that its factory workers here have gone on strike, saying that production is proceeding normally.

A report by China Labor Watch yesterday claimed up to 4,000 workers had gone on strike Friday in protest of harsher working conditions and hours.

The labor group, quoting localworkers, said Foxconn raised its product quality requirements but failed to train the workers, and that conflicts with quality control inspectors resulted in multiple physical altercations.

Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer, did acknowledge two small-scale disputes between production line workers and QA staff took place earlier in the week, but denied any larger-scale work stoppage.

Media in China is tightly controlled by the government. However, the government-approved Xinhua News Agency said some QA inspectors skipped work Friday, leading to an undisclosed number of lines to be shut down.

The plant builds casings and other components of the Apple iPhone 5. The phone's release was met with consumer dissatisfaction over scratches and other flaws in the phone. Apple in turn raised the bar for quality for its suppliers, including Foxconn.

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