The Indian Union Labour Ministry requested a report from the Tamil Nadu government on a media claim that Apple supplier Foxconn discriminated against married women in hiring for its iPhone assembly plant in the state. The ministry noted these “media reports on married women not being allowed to work at Foxconn India Apple iPhone plant” and has asked for a detailed report from the state’s labour department, according to an official statement.
This request aims to verify the allegations, emphasizing that the state government is responsible for enforcing the Equal Remuneration Act 1976, which prohibits gender discrimination in hiring. The ministry has also directed the regional chief labour commissioner to provide a factual report.
Apple and Foxconn did not respond to requests for comments as the news was being reported.
A special investigation by Reuters, published on Tuesday, revealed that Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, systematically excluded married women from the hiring process at its main iPhone assembly plant near Chennai, citing their family responsibilities. This investigation brings attention to Foxconn at a time when Apple is considering India as an alternative manufacturing base amid its shift away from China. Most iPhones produced in India come from the Sriperumbudur plant, about 25km west of Chennai, established in 2019.
As Apple, one of the world’s most valuable companies, expands its investments in India, Foxconn, based in Taiwan, received approval in December 2023 to invest an additional $1 billion into a new Apple plant near Bengaluru airport in Karnataka, bringing its total investment to around $2.7 billion.
