Samsung To Review All Chinese Suppliers After Child Labour Accusations
Please note that we are not authorised to provide any investment advice. The content on this page is for information purposes only.
Samsung Electronics Co has vowed to conduct an inspection on all of its Chinese parts-suppliers for any form of labour violations, said a report by Reuters on Monday, following accusations that a supplier had been using under-aged labour at their factories.
Samsung Electronics Co has vowed to conduct an inspection on all of its Chinese parts-suppliers for any form of labour violations, said a report by Reuters on Monday, following accusations that a supplier had been using under-aged labour at their factories.
According to the report, New York-based China Labor Watch had claimed last month to have found seven children, aged below 16, working in a factory at an HEG Electronics in Huizhou, who were making mobile phones and DVD players for the South Korean tech giants.
The human rights group, which conducted the investigations in June and July, also said that the child workers were facing the “same harsh conditions” as adults; and were paid just 70 percent of the wages of other workers, making working conditions “well below” those of even that at Apple suppliers.
Related: Infographic: Apple’s A Billionaire, But Its Workers Are Dead Broke
Related: Is There Such A Thing As An Ethical iPhone?
China Labor Watch added that all 2,000 employees at HEG were obliged to work between 11 and 13 hours per day and were only given a 40-minute break to eat.
On Monday, Samsung said that its audit into working conditions at HEG Electronics found no under-aged workers, but warned their supplier of several other labour violations including overtime beyond local regulations, improper safety measures and a system of fines for tardiness or absences.
[quote]”Samsung has demanded that HEG immediately improve its working conditions… If HEG fails to meet Samsung’s zero tolerance policy on child labour, the contract will be immediately severed,” the South Korean company said in a statement.[/quote]Additionally, representatives at Samsung promised that it would conduct inspections for all of its exclusive supplier companies in China, 105 in all, by the end of September; and review, via documentation, by the end of the year another 144 suppliers that makes products for it and other firms.
[quote]”If supplier companies are found to be in violation of our policies and corrective actions not taken, Samsung will terminate its contract with those supplier companies,” Samsung said.[/quote]Related: Chinese Labor Militancy Explodes Via New Technology
Related: Wal-Mart Ordered To Compensate Thousands Of Employees For Unpaid Overtime
Related: Indonesian Workers Forced To Work 65 Hours A Week On Adidas Gear For Olympics
Neither China Labor Watch nor HEG Electronics had no immediate comment after Samsung’s statement. According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 100 Samsung employees at its headquarters to China will be dispatched to conduct on-site inspections of its suppliers, including interviews with factory workers and reviews of human-resources documents.
