
NHRC Criticizes Labor Officials for Inadequate Investigation of Foxconn Hiring Practices
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed strong criticism towards labor officials in India for their insufficient investigation into allegations of employment discrimination at Foxconn's iPhone assembly plant. The commission has directed both federal and Tamil Nadu state officials to re-evaluate Foxconn's hiring practices following reports that revealed the exclusion of married women from assembly line jobs. This exclusion was reportedly eased only during peak production periods.
The NHRC's directive comes at a time when Foxconn and Apple are aiming to expand their manufacturing operations in India, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of boosting the country's electronics production. However, the NHRC's concerns cast a shadow on these plans, highlighting potential human rights violations within the industry.
According to a Reuters report, labor officials conducted a visit to the Foxconn plant in July but did not publicly release their findings. Documents reviewed by Reuters revealed that Tamil Nadu labor officials informed the NHRC that 6.7% of the 33,360 women employed at the plant were married, without specifying if they worked on the assembly line. The officials claimed that the recruitment of female employees from six districts "makes it clear that a large number of female employees have been hired by the company ... without any discrimination." However, the NHRC noted that the officials failed to address the core issue of discrimination against married women.
The NHRC stated that labor officials "filed their reports in a routine/casual manner" and failed to thoroughly scrutinize Foxconn's hiring documents. The commission emphasized that "the presence of (a) certain number of female employees at present does not answer the question (of) whether the company had actually discriminated against the married women at the time of recruitment," highlighting that officials were "apparently silent in this regard”.
The commission has ordered a "thorough investigation" to be conducted within four weeks, reflecting its powers akin to a civil court to recommend remedial actions, including compensation. Neither the state nor federal labor departments responded to requests for comments on the NHRC's assessment. The NHRC's intervention aligns with the government's assertion that India's Equal Remuneration Act prohibits discrimination in recruitment based on gender.