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By Praveen Paramasivam
SRIPERUMBUDUR, India (Reuters) - Foxconn's chairman on Saturday defended its hiring practices after New Delhi ordered investigations following a Reuters report that the Apple supplier rejects married women from iPhone assembly jobs.
"Foxconn hires regardless of gender, but women make up a big part of our workforce here," Young Liu said during the opening ceremony for a hostel complex for its workers near Chennai in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
"I emphasise married women greatly contribute to the efforts of what we're doing here," he added, making his first comments since the Reuters investigation.
Liu did not take questions from media at the hostel complex that the state government says is "exclusive" to 18,720 Foxconn women workers. The multi-storey hostel buildings are located close to the iPhone-making plant.
The Reuters investigation published in June found that Foxconn systematically excluded married women from jobs at its main India iPhone assembly plant on the grounds they have more family responsibilities than their unmarried counterparts.
Foxconn acknowledged some lapses in hiring practices in 2022 and said it had worked to address the issues, but added that it "vigorously refutes allegations of employment discrimination."
The story triggered TV debates and newspaper editorials. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's federal government ordered Tamil Nadu to provide a "detailed report" on it, and his labour officials also visited the iPhone factory to question executives. New Delhi has not yet released any findings.
Foxconn told labour officials its main India iPhone factory employs 41,281 people, including 33,360 women. Of these women some 2,750, or about 8%, were married.
It did not break down the staffing figures into specific areas such as iPhone assembly, where Reuters reported the discrimination was taking place.
Foxconn in recent years has expanded in India, where it makes iPhones and products for other smartphone brands, and has plans to move into AirPods and chipmaking.
Liu has met Modi and many top Indian officials during his ongoing visit, and discussed Foxconn's investment plans.
(Reporting by Praveen Paramasivam in Sriperumbudur; Editing by Aditya Kalra and Jan Harvey)
