The Ministry stated that the probe is based on the news report and called for detailed research citing the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976.
On Wednesday, the central government demanded the Tamil Nadu government to submit a detailed report on the news published by Reuters revealing the rejection of hiring married women to work at the Foxconn iPhone manufacturing company near Chennai.
According to the reports, the Ministry stated that the probe is based on the news report and called for detailed research citing the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976, which specifies that discrimination shouldn’t be made while hiring employees based on gender or caste.
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Reuters divulged this Foxconn hiring practice of prohibiting married women from working in a report, further disclosing information and proof stating that the company excludes women on the grounds of their family responsibilities and pregnancy. The Labour Ministry also informed the Regional Commissioner to submit a “factual report” on this matter.
As per the reports, Apple and Foxconn didn’t respond to the probe. But they acknowledged the oversight in hiring practices in response to the Reuters report. The company said that the lapses during recruitment will be addressed and work further to solve issues.
Earlier, Apple recognised these concerns and said that the complaints were first raised in 2022 and the company took action assigning suppliers to conduct monthly audits which would help to identify the hiring issues and ensure a peaceful working place for the employees. They confirmed that their suppliers including Foxconn hire married women and there is no bias based on gender.
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But further studies and reports confirmed the gender discrimination in hiring at Foxconn and have already revealed the plight of women working at their plant in filthy conditions negating all safety rules and standards.
The Taiwanese company Foxconn is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics. They are the suppliers of iPhones in India and all of the iPhones in India are manufactured at the Foxconn Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai City. Though most of its mobile production was earlier in China, later it shifted its location to Tamil Nadu, India due to the recent agnostic relationship between the US and China.
