Tamil Nadu Unveils Rs 700 Crore Hostel Facility for Foxconn Workforce, Modelled After Chinese Designs

On Saturday, the Tamil Nadu government opened a housing industrial facility modelled after those in China to house 18,720 female employees of key Apple supplier Foxconn.

The State Industries Development Corporation of Tamil Nadu developed the massive facility, which covers 20 acres and cost Rs 706.05 crores, in Vallam Vadagal near Sriperumbudur. The landmark project is nearly identical to the accommodations that Foxconn provides to its skilled workforce in countries such as China. Foxconn, which assembles the majority of iPhones shipped from India to other parts of the world, employs over 41,000 people in and around Chennai, 35,000 of whom are women.

Inaugurating the housing facility, Chief Minister M K Stalin said Foxconn is integral to Tamil Nadu's economic growth story. He hoped the Taiwanese electronics major would continue investing in the state.

"Such investments will contribute to my dream of making Tamil Nadu a $1 trillion economy by 2030," the CM said. Foxconn Chairman Young Liu, who is visiting Tamil Nadu for the second time in about a year, used the opportunity to mitigate the damage caused by recent reports that the company discriminates against married women in recruitment. "Women are a large part of our workforce here in Tamil Nadu, and married women also contribute significantly to Foxconn's growth," Li said, attempting to deflect criticism. He also stated that the hostel would allow thousands of young women from towns and villages to interact with one another. "We congratulate the Tamil Nadu government for making this project a reality," Li told the crowd.

Lis' comments come as the company faces an inquiry by the Union Government following reports that married women are barred from new hires. However, a Central team interacted with factory employees and discovered no evidence of discrimination. In his speech, Stalin went into detail about the steps to attract investment to the state, stating that SIPCOT would build more industrial estates and that land acquisition for the same is nearly complete.

The facility's inauguration comes nearly three years after massive protests by Foxconn employees forced the company to close for a fortnight. The female employees were dissatisfied with the accommodations provided to them and complained about the "poor quality" of the food.

Following an intervention by Apple and the state government, Foxconn improved facilities for its female employees and met many of their requests. Foxconn is a key supplier to Apple and currently manufactures high-end iPhones. Since last year, the company has begun assembling flagship models in India concurrently with assembly in China, where the majority of the Cupertino-based electronic major's products are manufactured.

Additionally, Bharat FIH, a Foxconn Technology Group Company, will soon begin assembling Pixel phones and producing drones for Google, a US technology behemoth.