Delhi: iPhone maker Foxconn denies discriminating against married women at its plant in India

NEW DELHI: New Delhi Apple iPhone maker Foxconn Apple iPhone maker Foxconn has informed the government that 25 per cent of its new hires are married women and that its safety protocol, which requires all employees to avoid wearing metal regardless of gender or religion, is not discriminatory, sources said. Foxconn said in an informal note shared with the government that such conditions are not part of its policy and these claims may have been made by individuals who were not hired, sources said. They said such statements are not discriminatory.

Media reports malign the fast-growing Indian manufacturing sector. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Wednesday sought a detailed report from the Tamil Nadu Labour Department on the issue of married women not being allowed to work at the Foxconn India Apple iPhone plant, as reported by the media. “Foxconn had clarified that 25 per cent of the recently hired employees are married women.

This would mean that about a third of the total women are married. This ratio compares favourably with any factory in this sector currently operating in India,” said one of the sources. He pointed out that Foxconn factories currently employ about 70 per cent women and 30 per cent men and the Tamil Nadu plant is the largest female employer in the country, with total employment touching 45,000 workers during peak periods. The company has also pointed out that the talk of Hindu married women being discriminated against for wearing metal (jewellery and jewellery) is “completely biased” and wearing metal in such factories is a safety issue, well recognised by both the industry and the government.

Citing an unofficial note from the company, the source said, “Any person wearing metal – male or female – irrespective of their status (unmarried or married) and their religion (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh etc.) is required to remove the metal while working in the factory.” For safety reasons, anyone wearing metal is not allowed to work on the shop floor and this is a prevalent practice in many industries. According to sources, the company has said that the media report is based on comments from 5-10 people or potential job seekers. These comments are possibly from candidates who did not get the job or who no longer work at Foxconn. There was no immediate comment from Foxconn in response to an email sent to the company on the matter.