Apple Contract Manufacturer Foxconn did not Hire Married Women At iPhone Plant in Tamilnadu

Foxconn, the contract manufacturer of American devices maker Apple, has been accused of not giving jobs to married women in the country. Regarding this, the Ministry of Labor and Employment of the Central Government has asked the Labor Department of Tamil Nadu to give a detailed report. It is illegal to discriminate in employment on the basis of gender in the country.

A Reuters investigation has revealed that Foxconn did not hire married women at its manufacturing plant near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. A former Foxconn HR executive, S Paul, told Reuters that Foxconn usually does not hire married women due to cultural issues and social pressure. The company believes that many problems arise after marriage. Apple and Foxconn admitted two years ago that there were flaws in their hiring practices and have worked to correct them. However, despite this, there have been cases of discrimination in hiring in the last two years.

Last year, Foxconn received approval to invest one billion dollars in its factory in the country. This will enable it to move towards creating a large manufacturing hub for Apple products outside China. This will enable it to increase the manufacturing of iPhones in the country. This Taiwanese company does about 70 percent of the total assembly of iPhones worldwide. The restrictions imposed in China due to Corona had a major impact on Foxconn’s plant manufacturing Apple products.

The company had informed about investing $600 million in two projects in Karnataka. These plants will manufacture casing components and chip making equipment for iPhones. It plans to start manufacturing iPhones in Karnataka. This will provide employment opportunities for about 50,000 people. Foxconn’s representative in the country had said that the company aims to double its investment and workforce this year. It wants to diversify its production outside China. Its Tamil Nadu plant has about 40,000 workers. iPhones made in this plant are sold in the country as well as exported.

(This news has not been edited by the NDTV team. It has been published directly from the Syndicate feed.)