National Human Rights Commission office at Faridkot House in New Delhi. File.
| Photo Credit: V. Sudershan

The NHRC on July 1 said it has issued notices to the Union Labour Ministry and the Tamil Nadu government over reports that a major manufacturer of electronic devices has allegedly “systematically excluded” married women from jobs at its assembly plant in Sriperumbudur.

Issuing the notices, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has noted the fact that gender equality is not only required in the Indian Constitution but the international treaty and covenants, viz., International Covenant Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights also provide non-discrimination on the ground of gender in any form of employment.

The NHRC has taken “suo motu cognisance of media reports that Foxconn, a major manufacturer of Apple devices has systematically excluded married women from job at its iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu”, it said.

It is alleged by a former HR executive at Foxconn that “verbal directions” have been given to the Indian hiring agencies by the company in this regard. It is also stated that the company “does not hire married women because of cultural issues and societal pressure”, the statement said, citing reports.

Sources recently said Apple iPhone maker Foxconn has informed the government that 25% of its new hires are married women and its safety protocol, which requires all employees to avoid wearing metal irrespective of gender or religion, is not discriminatory.

In an informal note shared with the government after reports had suggested that it was not hiring married women, Foxconn had stated that such stipulations are not part of its policy and these claims may have been made by those individuals who were not hired, the sources earlier said.

The Commission in its statement has observed that the content of the media reports, if true, raise a serious issue of discrimination against married women causing the violation of the right to equality and equal opportunity.

Therefore, the Commission has issued notices to the Secretary, Union Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the chief Secretary, government of Tamil Nadu, seeking a detailed report within one week, the statement said.

It is the obligation of the state authorities to ensure that all companies follow the norms and regulations relating to labour laws and the right to health and dignity to any individual, including women, who are working in the supply chain of any production unit of the private sector, the statement said.

As per media reports carried on June 26, a number of job seekers in the company were spoken to during the period January 2023 to May 2024 and the candidate information pamphlet of the company was examined, it said.

“It was revealed that only unmarried women were eligible for assembly job while there was no mention in this regard in the advertisements made by the company. A WhatsApp chat between a married candidate and the hiring agency of the company was also quoted in the news report stating that when the candidate asked about the salary and childcare facility offered by the company, the response was ‘married not allowed’. The company, reportedly, refuted the allegations of discrimination in employment based on marital status, gender, religion or any other form,” the statement said.

Two unidentified women wearing backpacks stand outside a security office at the main entrance to Foxconn’s factory in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, where workers assemble iPhones for Apple, January 28, 2023.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Apple iPhone maker Foxconn has informed the government that 25% of its new hires are married women and its safety protocol, which requires all employees to avoid wearing metal irrespective of gender or religion, is not discriminatory, sources said.

In an informal note shared with the government after reports suggested it is not hiring married women, Foxconn stated that such stipulations are not part of its policy and these claims may have been made by those individuals who were not hired, sources said.

They added that such media reports malign the fast-growing Indian manufacturing sector.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour and Employment on June 26 has 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% of the latest hires are married women. This would mean nearly one-third of the total women are married. This ratio compares favourably to any factory in this sector currently operating in India,” one of the sources said.

The Foxconn factory currently has about 70% women and 30% men and the Tamil Nadu plant is the largest factory for women employment in the country with the total employment having touched 45,000 workers during peak periods, they said.

The company has also informed that the discussion around Hindu married women being discriminated against for wearing metals (ornaments and jewelry) is “entirely slanted” and wearing metal in such factories is a safety issue, a fact well recognised by both the industry and the government.

“Any person wearing metals — man or woman — regardless of their status (single or married) and their religion (Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh etc.) are required to remove metals while working in the factory,” the source said quoting the company’s informal note.

For safety reasons, no one wearing metal is allowed to work on the shop floor and this is a prevalent practice in several industries.

According to sources, the company has stated that the media report is based on anecdotal comments by 5-10 people or potential job seekers.

These comments likely came from candidates who did not get the job or no longer work at Foxconn.

No immediate comments were received from Foxconn in response to an email query sent to the company on the matter.