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The Indian government has sought a detailed report from the state of Tamil Nadu following reports that Apple supplier Foxconn did not hire married women for iPhone assembly jobs.
A Reuters investigation has found that Foxconn excluded married women from employment at its main Indian iPhone factory near Chennai because they have greater family responsibilities than unmarried women.
The federal Ministry of Labor said the law “clearly provides for no discrimination.” [is] What to do when recruiting male and female workers
In a statement, Foxconn said it “strongly denies the allegations of employment discrimination based on marital status.”
Neither Apple nor the Tamil Nadu state government responded to Reuters requests for comment.
The BBC has also contacted the Tamil Nadu Labour Ministry for a response.
Foxconn, Apple’s largest iPhone supplier, set up its first factory in Tamil Nadu in 2017 and has been aggressively expanding its operations in India since then.
The company will start assembling the iPhone 15 in the state in 2023 and earlier this year partnered with Google to manufacture its Pixel smartphone in Tamil Nadu.
The company said it does not tolerate discrimination in hiring or hiring.
The company said that in a recent recruitment drive, 25% of the women hired were married.
The company acknowledged that 20 job adverts posted by recruitment agencies were removed in 2022 because they “did not meet our standards.”
The discriminatory practices detailed in the Reuters investigation allegedly took place in 2023 and 2024.
“If issues are found, we will take action, which may range from corrective measures to termination of employment,” Foxconn added.
Human rights activists say reports about the company’s hiring practices in India are worrying, given that thousands of people are turning to its factories for employment opportunities.
Reuters said it had spoken to numerous Foxconn employees and recruitment agencies about the matter.
According to the report, recruiters and Foxconn HR sources “cited family obligations, pregnancy and high rates of absenteeism as reasons why Foxconn would not hire married women at its factories.”
This is not the first time the company has come under scrutiny over its labor practices.
In 2018, a US-based human rights group accused Amazon of overworking and underpaying temporary workers in Chinese factories that make products for the company.
In 2022, protests erupted at iPhone factories in China by workers who claimed they were not being paid regular wages.
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