Tamil Nadu to inaugurate China-like hostel facility for Foxconn workforce

Chennai: Women employees of key Apple supplier Foxconn’s massive manufacturing facility in Sriperumbudur near here will now be able to access “safe, secure and comfortable” accommodation with the Tamil Nadu government set to inaugurate the first-of-its-kind housing project for the industrial workforce in the state.

The landmark project, modelled on the lines of accommodation that Foxconn provides to its skilled workforce in countries like China, will have accommodation facilities for 18,720 persons.

The project announced in 2021 and executed by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT) at its industrial park in Vallam Vadagal in Kanchipuram district will exclusively house employees of Foxconn, which assembles much of the iPhones that are shipped from India to various parts of the globe.

Chief Minister M K Stalin and Foxconn Chairman Young Liu, who is visiting Tamil Nadu for the second time in just about a year, will inaugurate the massive campus, about 10 km from Foxconn’s assembly unit in Sriperumbudur.

The facility’s inauguration comes almost three years after massive protests by employees of Foxconn led to the company’s closure for about a fortnight. The women employees were not satisfied with the accommodation provided for them and protested against the “poor quality” of food provided to them.

After an intervention from Apple and the state government, Foxconn ensured better facilities for its women employees and met many of their demands.

Spread over an area of 20 acres at the SIPCOT Industrial Park in Vallam Vadagal and built at a cost of Rs 706.50 crores, the facility is designed to accommodate 18,720 workers across 13 blocks each with stilt plus 10 floors.

The facility has a solar water heater arrangement for all 13 blocks, sanitary napkin incinerators, mosquito nets, and a dining facility that can accommodate 4,000 people at a time.

Foxconn, which employs about 40,000 persons in its facilities in Sriperumbudur, is one of the key suppliers of Apple and currently assembles high-end iPhones. Since last year, the company has begun assembling flagship models in India at the same time the assembly begins in China, where a 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 manufacturing drones for Google, a US technology giant.