Modi’s women’s wing calls for probe into Foxconn India’s hiring practice

NEW DELCH:

The women’s wing of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party urged the National Commission for Women on Friday to launch an investigation after Reuters reported that Apple supplier Foxconn is rejecting married women from iPhone assembly jobs in the country.

“It is imperative that a thorough investigation be conducted into these allegations and to ensure that the rights of female workers at Foxconn Hon Hai are protected,” Vanathi Srinivasan, president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) women’s wing, wrote in a letter to the Commission. posted on X.

Responding to the letter, National Commission for Women president Rekha Sharma wrote to X: “we are doing the needful.” He did not provide further details.

The National Commission for Women is empowered to inquire into all matters relating to the guarantees provided to women under the Constitution and other laws, its website says. It also has civil court powers to summon any person.

Apple ( AAPL.O ), Opens a New Tab and Foxconn ( 2317.TW ), Opens a New Tab did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Reuters investigation published on Tuesday found that Foxconn routinely excludes married women from jobs at its main iPhone factory in India near Chennai in Tamil Nadu state, arguing that they have more family responsibilities than their single counterparts.

Foxconn recruiters and human resources sources interviewed by Reuters cited family duties, pregnancy and increased absenteeism as reasons why Foxconn did not hire married women at the plant.

The story has sparked discussions on TV channels and newspaper editorials.

In the letter, Srinivasan referred to Foxconn’s reported hiring practices as a “serious matter.”

“We have become aware through various media sources that Foxconn has engaged in discriminatory practices against married women,” Srinivasan wrote.

The letter also said that the BJP women’s wing was aware that women workers at Foxconn are not even allowed to use the toilet during working hours and those staying in hostels are not allowed to take leaves. Srinivasan’s letter did not elaborate on these points.

Earlier this week, Modi’s labor ministry said it had sought a detailed report from the Tamil Nadu labor department on the matter.

In response to questions from Reuters about their report on Tuesday, Apple and Foxconn acknowledged mistakes in hiring practices in 2022 and said they had worked to address the problems. All of the discriminatory practices documented by Reuters at the Sriperumbudur plant, however, took place in 2023 and 2024. The two companies did not address the 2023 and 2024 incidents.

Apple said that “when concerns about our hiring practices were first raised in 2022, we took immediate action and worked with our supplier to conduct monthly audits to identify issues and ensure our high standards are being met,” adding that all its suppliers, including Foxconn, hire married women.

Foxconn said it “strongly denies allegations of employment discrimination based on marital status, gender, religion or any other form.”

Hiring restrictions at the iPhone factory show the challenge for both Apple and Foxconn in meeting their stated global inclusion standards while expanding their supply chains in this fast-growing but largely conservative country.

Modi has previously called for the removal of social barriers that prevent many Indian women from finding work. While Foxconn employs thousands of women in India, discrimination based on marital status risks undermining the prime minister’s goals.