Labour ministry seeks report from Tamil Nadu govt in Foxconn incident

The statement further adds that section 5 of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, clearly stipulates that no discrimination is to be made while recruiting men and women workers

The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Wednesday said it has sought a report from the Tamil Nadu labour department, amid reports that married women are not being allowed to work at Foxconn India’s Apple iPhone unit in Sriperumbudur.

“[The] Ministry of Labour and Employment has taken note of various media reports claiming that married women are not being allowed to work at Foxconn India Apple iPhone plant. In light of these reports, the ministry has requested a detailed report from the labour department of the Tamil Nadu government,” the labour ministry said. 

The statement added that Section 5 of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 stipulated that no discrimination was to be made while recruiting male and female workers. 

“As the state government is the appropriate authority for the enforcement and administration of the provisions of this Act, hence the report has been sought from the state government. The office of the regional chief labour commissioner has also been directed to furnish the factual report,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, Reuters has reported that the Taiwan-headquartered manufacturer relaxes this practice of not hiring married women during high-production periods only when it faces labour shortages. 

In 1965, a Supreme Court judgment struck down a pharmaceutical company’s practice of terminating the employment of women in its packaging and labelling department when they got married. The four judges in the case determined there was “nothing to show that married women would necessarily be more likely to be absent than unmarried women,” and “there is no good and convincing reason why such a rule should continue,” according to Reuters.