Praveen Paramasivam, Munsif Vengattil and Aditya Kalra
BANGALORE (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Wednesday said it had asked Tamil Nadu state to submit a “detailed report” after Reuters reported Apple (NASDAQ:) supplier Foxconn rejected married women at its assembly line iPhone in the state of the country.
In a statement calling for the investigation, the federal government’s Department of Labor and Employment cited the Equal Remuneration Act 1976, saying the law “clearly provides that no discrimination shall be permitted in the employment of men and women.”
The ministry said it had sought a detailed report from the Labor Ministry in Tamil Nadu, home to a major iPhone plant where Reuters had exposed Foxconn’s practice of excluding married women from work. The Labor Ministry said it had also directed the regional chief labor commissioner to provide a “factual report.”
Apple and Foxconn did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the government’s statement. The Tamil Nadu state government did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside business hours.
A Reuters investigation published on Tuesday found that Foxconn systematically excluded married women from jobs at its main Indian iPhone plant near Chennai in Tamil Nadu state on the grounds that they had more family responsibilities than their unmarried colleagues. .
Foxconn recruiters and human resources sources interviewed by Reuters cited family responsibilities, pregnancy and frequent absenteeism as reasons why Foxconn did not hire married women at the plant.
The Labor Ministry “takes note of media reports that married women are not being allowed to work at the Foxconn India Apple iPhone plant,” the statement said.
Earlier, in response to questions from Reuters for its report on Tuesday, Apple and Foxconn acknowledged mistakes in their 2022 hiring practices and said they were working to resolve the issues. However, all of the discriminatory practices documented by Reuters at the Sriperumbudur plant took place in 2023 and 2024. Both companies did not investigate the 2023 and 2024 incidents.
Apple said that “when concerns about hiring practices first arose in 2022, we immediately took action and began working with our supplier to conduct monthly audits to identify issues and ensure compliance with our high standards,” adding that all of 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.”
Lawyers told Reuters that Indian law does not prohibit companies from discriminating in hiring based on marital status. However, Apple and Foxconn policies prohibit such hiring practices in their supply chains.
(For complete coverage on Reuters.com, click https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/foxconn-apple-india-women/)