India watchdog demands fresh probe into Foxconn hiring

Scrutiny over alleged employment discrimination at Tamil Nadu plant.

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India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has rebuked labour officials for inadequately investigating claims of employment discrimination at Foxconn’s iPhone manufacturing plant in Tamil Nadu. The commission called for a thorough re-examination after a Reuters investigation revealed that Foxconn systematically excluded married women from assembly line jobs, relaxing the rule only during high-production periods.

Labour officials, who visited the Foxconn plant in July, reported that 6.7% of its 33,360 female workers were married but failed to confirm whether they worked on the assembly line. Federal investigators also relied on employee testimonies, finding no wage or promotion bias but neglected to scrutinise recruitment records. The NHRC criticised these findings as superficial, stating they failed to address the alleged discriminatory hiring practices effectively.

Foxconn and Apple, both key players in India‘s electronics manufacturing push, did not respond to inquiries about the NHRC’s concerns. While Foxconn previously instructed recruiters to remove discriminatory job criteria, the NHRC has ordered a fresh investigation into the matter. The statutory body, which holds civil court-like authority, continues to push for accountability in safeguarding workers’ rights.