- Indian government seeks report from Tamil Nadu over allegations against Foxconn.
- Reuters investigation claims Foxconn excluded married women from jobs at Chennai iPhone plant.
- Allegations contradict federal labour laws prohibiting gender discrimination in recruitment.
- Foxconn faces previous scrutiny over labour practices in China and India.
India seeks report on iPhone factory hiring practices
The Indian government has requested a detailed report from Tamil Nadu state following media allegations that Apple supplier Foxconn was rejecting married women for iPhone assembly jobs.
A Reuters investigation alleged that Foxconn had excluded married women from jobs at its main iPhone plant near Chennai, citing their greater family responsibilities compared to unmarried women. This practice appears to contradict federal labour laws, which stipulate that no discrimination should occur in the recruitment of men and women workers.
Foxconn, the largest supplier of Apple iPhones, established its first factory in Tamil Nadu in 2017 and has been expanding its operations in India aggressively. In 2023, the company began assembling the iPhone 15 in the state and also partnered with Google to manufacture Pixel smartphones in Tamil Nadu.
Rights activists have expressed concern over the reports of Foxconn’s hiring practices, noting that thousands of individuals seek employment opportunities at its factories. According to Reuters, interviews with numerous employees and Foxconn hiring agencies revealed that hiring agents and HR sources cited family duties, pregnancy, and higher absenteeism as reasons for not hiring married women at the plant.
This isn’t the first time Foxconn has faced scrutiny over its labour practices. In 2018, a US-based rights group accused the firm of overworking and underpaying temporary workers at its factory in China that manufactured products for Amazon. In 2022, Foxconn’s iPhone factory in China saw protests from workers who claimed they had not been paid certain dues.