Foxconn Completes $230 Million Dormitory Facility for Workers at Tamil Nadu iPhone Plant

Foxconn has indeed confirmed a $230 million housing project for the Tamil Nadu iPhone factory workers, which has been completed.

With an investment of $230 million, Foxconn is understood to build a worker accommodation project at its Tamil Nadu facility at Sriperumbudur to help provide better housing conditions for their mainly female employees, who otherwise spend tedious hours doing daily travel from far-off hostels.

The facility stretches across 20 acres of land, comprising six residential blocks, each ten stories high, accommodating a total of 18,000 beds. It also features two utility and recreation facility blocks that will be used for playing cricket, badminton, basketball, and volleyball. The workers will also have access to subsidized meals at an on-site canteen and a grocery store for daily requirements.

Meanwhile, an audit is going on to make sure that the dorms are ready for the workers to move in. This project is the first major investment by Foxconn into worker housing in India and marks another moment in the process of improving the quality of life for its workforce. There are about 41,000 employees in and around Chennai, and 35,000 out of them are women.

This development follows a wave of protests and a temporary closure of the plant on account of food poisoning that broke out in 2021.

This incident also saw Apple placing the Foxconn plant on probation with a need for various upgrades in the worker hostels, which had earlier accommodated 12,000 individuals. The completion of these new dormitories, among other housing projects introduced by the government, depicts Foxconn’s renewed commitment to better the welfare of workers.

Foxconn is part of a wider trend that aims to improve accommodation and working conditions in India’s manufacturing sector. Experts believe that such investments in housing and social infrastructure are critical for the long-term growth of the sector, especially as India aims to transform its economy into one worth $5 trillion. The successful Foxconn model that has already taken root in many countries like China and Vietnam has the potential to be one of India’s mainstays for manufacturing.