Apple workers in India will work longer hours – FT

Apple and its manufacturing supplier Foxconn have been involved in lobbying for a landmark liberalization of labor laws in India, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing sources.

According to the report, the legislation authorized the introduction of 12-hour shifts in the southern state of Karnataka, as well as night-time work for women.

Foxconn reportedly stated that the legal change is crucial to building efficient manufacturing at scale, and that the possibility of running production around the clock using two 12-hour shifts will be a big step forward for the company.

The Taiwanese tech giant has been shifting production away from China due to the country's strict Covid-related restrictions, which has disrupted the manufacturing of new devices. The move has also been seen as an attempt to avoid problems due to growing tensions between Beijing and Washington.

The Karnataka government announced a week earlier that Apple’s iPhones would soon be assembled in the state, specifying that a total of 300 acres have been set aside for a plant.

India aims to increase its work output and efficiency in order to become the next big manufacturing hub, according to an anonymous Indian government official cited by Mint.

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