Apple and Foxconn have their eye on Karnataka, in South India, to build a very large factory producing iPhones there. They are using their corporate influence to push for relaxation of labor laws. According to the Financial Times, both companies have been lobbying the Karnataka government to allow longer working hours, with 12-hour shifts instead of the current 9 hours. This would allow two-shift production, as in China. Night work rules will also be relaxed for women, who, according to the FT, “dominate electronics production lines in China, Taiwan and Vietnam, but are underrepresented in the Indian workforce.” This shows once again that the feminization of industry is not an automatic process but a result of corporate lobbying. The FT article is behind a paywall, but a good overview of the changes in the labor law can be found here:
Photo: By iphonedig
