The Indian government is investigating Foxconn, a key Apple manufacturer, for excluding married women from jobs at its iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The company's hiring agents were instructed to avoid recruiting married women because of the high number of absenteeism due to family responsibilities and wearing traditional Hindu jewelry that has the potential to cause issues in the manufacturing process.
The Ministry of Labor and Employment has requested a detailed report from the Tamil Nadu government and directed the office of the Regional Chief Labour Commissioner to provide a factual report regarding the persistence of discrimination practices. The state government in enforcing the Equal Remuneration Act 1976, which prohibits discrimination between men and women in recruitment.
Additionally, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo moto action against Foxconn stating "systematically excluding married women from jobs". NHRC mentions, "The state authorities must ensure that all companies follow the norms and regulations relating to labor laws and the right to health and dignity to any individual, including women, who are working in the supply chain of any production unit of the private sector."
Apple and Foxconn have not commented on the investigation as it exposes Apple's supplier at a time when the tech giant considers India as an alternative manufacturing base for iPhones, shifting its supply chain from China. Foxconn, a Taiwan-based company, has been approved to invest $1 billion in an upcoming Apple plant near Bengaluru airport in Karnataka, increasing its total investment to around $2.7 billion.
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