Apple Contract Manufacturer Foxconn in Problem due to its Hiring Methods, Labor Department Investigating Matter

Foxconn, a major contract manufacturer of American devices maker Apple, has been accused of not giving jobs to married women in the country. The Labor Department has started an investigation into this. Officials have visited Foxconn’s factory near Chennai in Tamil Nadu and inquired about the company’s hiring practices.

In a report by Reuters it was stated that Foxconn Married women are being denied jobs at Foxconn’s factory. Regional Labor Commissioner, A Narasaiah said a labor department team had spoken to the company’s directors and executives of the human resources division. Foxconn did not respond to requests for comment. Apple also did not respond to questions sent by Reuters. Last week, the central government sought a detailed report from state officials in the case.

Regarding this, Narasaiah said, “We are collecting information and the company has been instructed to submit documents. The company has said that they are not discriminating.” Foxconn has told the officials that there are 41,281 workers in its factory. Of these workers, 33,360 are women. About eight percent of the company’s female workers are married. Discrimination in employment on the basis of gender is illegal in the country.

A Reuters investigation revealed that Foxconn has refused to give jobs to married women in its factory. A former HR executive of Foxconn, S Paul, told Reuters that Foxconn usually does not hire married women due to cultural issues and social pressure. The company believes that many problems arise after marriage. Apple and Foxconn admitted two years ago that there are flaws in the hiring practices and have worked to remove it. Last year, Foxconn received approval to invest one billion dollars in its factory in the country. This will enable it to create a large manufacturing hub for Apple products outside China.

(This news has not been edited by the NDTV team. It has been published directly from the Syndicate feed.)