Foxconn defends hiring process after women’s report rejected
Foxconn: Foxconn Chairman Young Liu on Saturday said the company hires employees regardless of gender differences but women, especially married women, have made a huge contribution to its efforts in India. The chairman of the Taiwan-based iPhone contract maker was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of its women-only residential complex here. The Foxconn chairman said there is a growing trend in all types of hiring by the Taiwanese electronics manufacturing major in India. “Foxconn hires regardless of gender differences but women make up a large part of our workforce here. I would like to emphasize that married women make a huge contribution to what we are doing here,” Liu said. The Taiwanese company was recently accused of discrimination in hiring married women after a report alleged that the electronics manufacturing giant was against hiring married women in India. Foxconn had rejected the report and said that 25 per cent of its new employees are married women.
The company had then said that the Foxconn factory has about 70 per cent women and 30 per cent men and the Tamil Nadu plant is the largest factory in the country to employ women. Liu said the women’s residential complex provides peace of mind to employees living away from home and reduces time spent at work. “This residential complex is now an important part of Foxconn in Tamil Nadu. It adds to our commitment to sustainability in India. For example, we are achieving zero waste to landfill verification in Asia, the US and Europe. We are also implementing zero liquid discharge technology, energy-saving equipment and rain harvesting in India,” he said. The Foxconn chairman said sustainability is not just about clean and green infrastructure, but it is about developing a community. “Opportunities for women in India go hand in hand with their health and safety at the workplace. Having a sustainable living environment helps them succeed,” Liu said. Built by the Tamil Nadu State Industries Promotion Corporation (SIPCOT) and inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, the complex will house over 18,000 women employees of Foxconn on a room-sharing basis. The project is spread over an area of 20 acres and has been built at a total cost of around Rs 706 crore.