Foxconn is not discriminating in any when it comes to hiring, says the company refuting allegations that it does not hire married women. The Company has clarified that as per its policy, 25 per cent of its new hires comprise married women. Also, its safety protocols require that workers refrain from wearing any metal (that means, no jewellery or accessories), irrespective of the gender, race or religion they belong to. All workers in the Foxconn factory, or any other factory in the industry are expected to remove their jewellery or any metal accessory while working at the plants, regardless of their marital status. This is a safety issue, which is known to all the operators in this sector or space.
Presently, Foxconn has 70 per cent women in its workforce and 30 per cent men. Of the women, 20 per cent of the new entrants are married. In fact, the Tamil Nadu plant is the largest factory that employs women in India with the total strength being 45,000 during peak times.
Foxconn has gone ahead and stated that such wrong media reports are tarnishing its image. The company’s hiring practices are similar to those followed elsewhere in factories in this space. That is, one-third of its workforce consists of married women.
The iPhone manufacturer has said that media report alleging discriminatory hiring practices are based on a handful of remarks or comments who probably failed to land a job with the firm or are no long employed at Foxconn.