Indian labor officials visited a Foxconn factory in the country's south this week and questioned executives about the company's hiring practices, an official said, after Reuters reported that Apple's main supplier has turned away women married iPhone assembly jobs.
A five-member team from the federal government's regional labor department visited Foxconn's factory near Chennai in Tamil Nadu state on July 1 and spoke with company executives and human resources officials , A. Narasaiah, regional labor commissioner, told Reuters by phone. Wednesday.
Foxconn did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Apple did not respond to questions from Reuters about the visit.
The inquiries come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government last week asked state officials and the federal government's regional labor commissioner's office to provide detailed reports on the matter, following a Reuters investigation into the practices. of contracting to the manufacturing facility.
“We are gathering information and have asked the company to submit documents such as company policies, recruitment policies,” as well as evidence of compliance with labor laws and information on maternity and retirement benefits, Narasaiah said . “They told us they are not discriminating.”
Narasaiah said Foxconn told labor officials that the factory employs 41,281 people, including 33,360 women. Of those women, about 2,750, or about 8 percent, were married, he said, citing Foxconn's filing.
Foxconn did not break down staffing numbers in specific areas, such as iPhone assembly, where Reuters reported discrimination was occurring, Narasaiah said. He added that labor inspectors interviewed 40 married women inside the plant, who did not raise any concerns about discrimination.
Narasaiah said he currently has no plans to question Foxconn's third-party hiring agents, who search for candidates and bring them to the plant for interviews.
A Reuters investigation published last week found that Foxconn systematically excluded married women from assembly work at its main Indian iPhone plant because they have more family responsibilities than their unmarried counterparts. Foxconn HR sources and third-party hiring agents cited family duties, pregnancy and increased absenteeism as reasons for not hiring married women.
The report also found that Taiwan-based Foxconn relaxes the practice of not hiring married women during periods of high production.
The story has sparked debates on television channels, newspaper editorials and calls from opposition figures and women's groups, including Prime Minister Modi's party, to investigate the matter.
In response to the Reuters investigation, Apple and Foxconn acknowledged gaps in 2022's hiring practices and said they had worked to fix the problems. All of the discriminatory practices documented by Reuters at the Tamil Nadu plant, however, took place in 2023 and 2024. The companies did not address those cases.
Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry, has previously said it “vigorously denies allegations of employment discrimination based on marital status, gender, religion or any other form.”
Apple has said that all of its suppliers, including Foxconn, hire married women and “When concerns were first raised about hiring practices in 2022, we took immediate action and we worked with our supplier to conduct monthly audits to identify issues and ensure our high standards are being met.”
Indian law does not prohibit companies from discriminating in hiring based on marital status, although Apple and Foxconn's policies prohibit such practices in their supply chains.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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