Indian officials visit Foxconn iPhone plant, question executives about hiring

Indian labour officials visited a Foxconn factory in the country’s south this week and questioned executives about the company’s hiring practices, an official said, after Reuters reported that the major Apple supplier has been rejecting married women from iPhone assembly jobs.

A five-member team of the federal government’s regional Labour Department visited the Foxconn factory near Chennai, in Tamil Nadu state, on July 1 and spoke to company directors and human resources officials, A. Narasaiah, the regional labour commissioner, told Reuters by telephone on Wednesday.

Foxconn did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Apple did not address questions from Reuters about the visit.

The inquiries come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government asked state officials and the office of the federal government’s Regional Chief Labour Commissioner last week to provide detailed reports on the matter, following Reuters’ investigation into hiring practices at the manufacturing facility.

“We are collecting information, and have asked the company to submit documents like company policies, recruitment policies” as well as evidence of compliance with labour laws and information on maternity and retirement benefits, Narasaiah said. “They told us they are not discriminating.”

Narasaiah said Foxconn told the labour officials the factory employs 41,281 people, including 33,360 women. Of these women, some 2,750, or about 8 per cent, were married, he said, citing Foxconn’s submission.