Foxconn ‘bias’: Labour Ministry asks Tamil Nadu for ‘detailed report’, Foxconn says 25% of hires are married women

The government has asked Tamil Nadu to submit a "detailed report" addressing allegations that Foxconn rejected married women for jobs at its iPhone assembly facility in Chennai, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the Ministry of Labour said it was taking note of media reports about married women not being allowed to work at Foxconn India Apple iPhone plant.

The Govt Statement

The Ministry issued a statement on June 26 citing Section 5 of the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976 and adding that it "clearly stipulates that no discrimination be made while recruiting men and women workers".

"Section 5 of the Equal Remuneration Act 1976 clearly stipulates that no discrimination is to be made while recruiting men and women workers. As the state government is the appropriate authority for the enforcement and administration of the provisions of this Act, the report has been sought from it," it said.

Further, the office of the Regional Chief Labour Commissioner has been asked to provide a "factual report".

The report noted that Apple and Foxconn did not respond to queries, and the TN government office did not respond outside of working hours.

As per lawyers, Indian laws do not categorically disallow discrimination based on marital status while hiring, the report stated. It added that Apple and Foxconn's own policies, however, bar such practices at its facilities.

Companies Deny Discrimination

Apple denied reports of such discrimination and noted that Foxconn employs some married women in India. "When concerns about hiring practices were first raised 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. All of our suppliers in India hire married women, including Foxconn," Apple said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Foxconn said in a statement it "vigorously refutes allegations of employment discrimination based on marital status, gender, religion or any other form." It added that in its latest round of hiring, almost 25 per cent of the women it hired were married, without specifying the number or where they were employed.

Speaking to PTI, sources said Foxconn has reached out to the government to clarify its stance.

"Foxconn had clarified that 25 per cent of the latest hires are married women. This would mean nearly one-third of the total women are married. This ratio compares favourably to any factory in this sector currently operating in India," one of the sources said.

The Foxconn factory currently has about 70 per cent women and 30 per cent men and the Tamil Nadu plant is the largest factory for women employment in the country with the total employment having touched 45,000 workers during peak periods, they added.

According to sources, the company has stated that the media report is based on anecdotal comments by 5-10 people or potential job seekers.

Foxconn did not respond to PTI's queries on the matter.

Details of Investigation

A Reuters investigation alleged that Foxconn systematically excluded married women from jobs at its main India iPhone assembly plant.

Apple and Foxconn acknowledged lapses in hiring practices in 2022 and said they had worked to address the issues. However, all the discriminatory practices documented by Reuters at the Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai took place in 2023 and 2024, and the companies didn't address those instances.

The decision was reportedly based on the grounds that married women have more family responsibilities than their unmarried counterparts.

S Paul, a former human resources (HR) executive at Foxconn India who left the company in August 2023, told Reuters, "Risk factors increase when you hire married women. Foxconn typically doesn't hire married women because of cultural issues and societal pressures. The company's view was that there were many issues post-marriage. Among them is that women have babies after marriage."

In addition to him, 17 other employees from more than a dozen Foxconn hiring agencies in India and four current and former Foxconn HR executives backed the claim.

(With inputs from Reuters and PTI)