A manager of Foxconn Technology Group's Beijing factory confirmed that company security guards did beat employees in an incident last August.
A video of the incident, which first appeared on the Internet in August, has been gaining popularity following a string of employee suicides. More than 20 guards are shown beating two employees.
Foxconn, a thriving technology firm based in Shenzhen, is linked to Taiwan electronics giant Hon Hai Group and a major manufacturer of popular U.S.-based Apple products, such as iPhones, iPods and the new iPads.
The manager said that the incident was a misunderstanding and that the company punished the guards.
Insiders say that this incident has been settled in private and that the guards have been fired.
An employee told the Beijing News that it is not rare to see guards bullying workers. He said that he was once abused by the guards at the entrance and that one of his coworkers who returned to the dormitory late was beaten and shut in a room for a night.
The manager denied those beatings happened, saying that after the incident in the video, Foxconn had provided its guards and employees law-related education, and no similar events have happened.