After Reuters reported that the main Apple provider has been rejecting married women from phone assembly jobs, Indian labor officials visited a Foxconn shop in the government’s southern this week and questioned executives about the company’s hiring practices, an official said.
A five- part staff of the federal government’s local labour division visited the Foxconn factory near Chennai, in Tamil Nadu state, on Jul 1 and spoke to company directors and people resources officials, A Narasaiah, the local labour commissioner, told Reuters by telephone on Wednesday.
Apple did not respond to Reuters ‘ questions regarding the visit, and Foxconn did not respond right away to a request for comment.
Following Reuters ‘ investigation into hiring procedures at the manufacturing facility, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government asked state authorities and the business of the federal government’s Regional Chief Labour Commissioner last week to provide thorough information on the issue.
” We are collecting information, and have asked the company to submit documents like business plans, selection plans” as well as proof of compliance with labour rules and information on pregnancy and pension benefits, Narasaiah said. ” They told us they are not discriminating”.
Narasaiah said Foxconn told the labour officials the factory employs 41, 281 people, including 33, 360 women. Of these women, some 2, 750, or about 8 per cent, were married, he said, citing Foxconn’s submission.
According to Narasaiah, Foxconn did not divide the staffing figures into specific areas like iPhone assembly, where Reuters reported the discrimination was occurring. He added that the labor inspectors interviewed 40 married women inside the factory, and they did n’t have any issues with discrimination.
Narasaiah claimed that he does not intend to speak with Foxconn’s third-party hiring agents, who systematically interview candidates and bring them to the factory.
According to a Reuters investigation released last week, Foxconn consistently forbade married women from holding assembly jobs at its main Indian iPhone factory because they have more responsibilities than their unionized counterparts. Family obligations, pregnancy, and higher absenteeism were cited by Foxconn HR sources and third-party hiring managers as justifications for not hiring married women.
Additionally, according to the report, Taiwan-based Foxconn relaxes the custom of not hiring married women during high-production periods.
The story has sparked debates on TV channels, newspaper editorials, and calls from opposition figures and women’s groups, including within Modi’s party, to investigate the matter.
Apple and Foxconn acknowledged hiring lapses in 2022 and said they had worked to address the issues in response to the Reuters investigation. All the discriminatory practices documented by Reuters at the Tamil Nadu plant, however, took place in 2023 and 2024. The companies did not address those instances.
Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, has previously said it “vigorously refutes allegations of employment discrimination based on marital status, gender, religion or any other form”.
Apple has stated that all of its suppliers, including Foxconn, employ married women, and that it has done so when concerns about hiring practices first surfaced in 2022.” We immediately took action and worked with our supplier to conduct monthly audits to identify issues and ensure that our high standards are upheld.
Although Apple and Foxconn’s policies forbid discrimination in their supply chains, Indian law does not prohibit such practices in hiring.