Foxconn India Revisited
This report aims to analyse the working conditions in Foxconn’s Indian operations, examining the company’s code of conduct in relation to the findings in the field. Foxconn factories in two different locations – Sunguvarchatram, Tamil Nadu and Sri City, Andhra Pradesh are examined. These two sites cover all of Foxconn’s current operations in India.
A common problem faced by workers in both locations is the lack of appropriate communication channels to address grievances. Workers’ right to freedom of association is adversely affected by the management’s discriminatory attitude towards union members. Despite the fact that almost half of the permanent workers were members of the United Labour Federation, Foxconn has not yet recognised the federation as the workers’ representative.
Sunguvarchatram factory: safety and health issues
Workers in the Sunguvarchatram (SVC) factory face poor safety practices and occupational health and safety hazards. The risk of injuries is high due to disabled safety sensors and poorly maintained company grounds with snakes and rodents. Workers’ health is also compromised by the presence of paint powder in the air and the constant noise of machines. Another condition that has worsened is the provision of transport facilities, which means that workers have to arrange their own transport, even during a night shift, at their own cost.
Sri City facility: precarious work and low wages
A significantly larger portion of the workforce in the new Sri City facility appears to be in a precarious employment situation, employed as contract workers. As a result of this, the workers are not in a position to complain about their situation or to voice demands. Without any form of grievance mechanism, they are forced to accept the situation or to leave their job. Also the salary of the contract workers is far below the living wage.
read more less
