India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has criticized labour officials for inadequately investigating reports of hiring discrimination at Foxconn, the manufacturer of Apple iPhones. The NHRC has directed federal and Tamil Nadu state authorities to revisit their findings following concerns of biased recruitment practices at Foxconn’s southern India plant.
Background:
- In June 2023, NHRC ordered probes into Foxconn’s hiring practices after a Reuters investigation revealed that married women were allegedly excluded from assembly line jobs at the Tamil Nadu plant.
- The plant is a critical component of Apple’s manufacturing expansion in India and aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to reduce reliance on China.
Initial Findings and Criticism:
- Labour officials, after visiting the plant in July 2023, reported that 6.7% of the 33,360 women employees were married. However, they did not confirm if these women worked on the assembly line.
- Officials cited diversity in hiring from six districts as evidence against discrimination.
- NHRC criticized these findings, pointing out that the investigation did not examine hiring documents or address allegations of marital status-based exclusion. The commission deemed the reliance on testimonies from current employees inadequate.
NHRC’s Directive:
- The NHRC has instructed labour officials to conduct a comprehensive investigation within four weeks.
- It emphasized that the failure to scrutinize recruitment records and address specific allegations undermines the investigation’s credibility.
Legal Framework and Industry Response:
- NHRC’s directive is based on the Equal Remuneration Act, which prohibits discrimination in hiring based on gender or marital status.
- Both Apple and Foxconn denied discriminatory hiring practices, stating that married women are hired at the plant. In 2024, Foxconn instructed recruiters to remove criteria like age, gender, and marital status from job advertisements.
The case remains ongoing as authorities work to meet NHRC’s reinvestigation deadline, ensuring compliance with labour rights and equity standards.
