The ministry mentioned it has requested an in depth report from Tamil Nadu Labour Division. (File)
Bengaluru:
The central authorities on Wednesday mentioned it has requested the Tamil Nadu authorities to submit a “detailed report” after a Reuters story revealed that Apple provider Foxconn rejected married girls from iPhone meeting jobs within the nation.
In a press release calling for the probe, the Ministry of Labour and Employment cited the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976, saying the regulation “clearly stipulates that no discrimination (is) to be made whereas recruiting women and men employees.”
The ministry mentioned it has requested an in depth report from the Labour Division of Tamil Nadu, website of a significant iPhone manufacturing unit the place Reuters uncovered Foxconn’s observe of shunning married girls from jobs.
The Labour Ministry mentioned it additionally directed the workplace of the Regional Chief Labour Commissioner to supply a “factual report.”
Apple and Foxconn didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the federal government assertion. The Tamil Nadu state authorities didn’t instantly reply to Reuters’ request for remark outdoors workplace hours.
A Reuters investigation revealed on Tuesday discovered that Foxconn has systematically excluded married girls from jobs at its important India iPhone plant close to Chennai in Tamil Nadu, on the grounds they’ve extra household tasks than their single counterparts.
Foxconn hiring brokers and HR sources interviewed by Reuters cited household duties, being pregnant and better absenteeism as the reason why Foxconn didn’t rent married girls on the plant.
The Ministry of Labour “takes word of media reviews on married girls not being allowed to work at Foxconn India Apple iPhone plant,” the assertion mentioned.
Earlier, in response to questions from Reuters for its Tuesday report, Apple and Foxconn acknowledged lapses in hiring practices in 2022 and mentioned they’d labored to deal with the problems. All of the discriminatory practices documented by Reuters on the Sriperumbudur plant, nonetheless, passed off in 2023 and 2024. The 2 firms did not tackle the 2023 and 2024 incidents.
Apple mentioned that “when considerations about hiring practices have been first raised in 2022 we instantly took motion and labored with our provider to conduct month-to-month audits to determine points and be certain that our excessive requirements are upheld,” including that each one its suppliers, together with Foxconn, rent married girls.
Foxconn mentioned it “vigorously refutes allegations of employment discrimination primarily based on marital standing, gender, faith or every other kind.”
Legal professionals informed Reuters Indian regulation would not bar firms from discriminating in hiring primarily based on marital standing. Apple’s and Foxconn’s insurance policies, nonetheless, prohibit such hiring practices of their provide chains.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)