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Another report from a Chinese labour watchdog suggests that reports of Samsung’s underage and abused workforce weren’t a one-off.
A four-month investigation by China Labor Watch has revealed “severe labour abuses” at six Samsung-owned factories and two of its suppliers. A press release details abuses including unpaid labour, forced and excessive overtime hours, and physical and verbal abuse.
The report goes on to explain how workers are forced to stand for 12 hours at a time, as well as being subjected to widespread discrimination based on age, gender, and personal appearance. Perhaps most upsetting of all is that the report also claims that at least three factories are employing underage workers.
Earlier this week a Samsung audit declared that claims of underage workers at its HEG Electronics facility in Huizhou, China, were unfounded — though the company did find plenty of other problems that it needed to remedy.
This latest news, however, suggests that the problems spread far beyond that single factory. Of course, it’s not just Samsung’s problem: though some of the factories are majority-owned by Samsung, the worst conditions were found at supplier factories, claims the watchdog. To give you a flavour of exactly what that means, imagine standing 11 hours a day, constructing one cell phone case every five seconds, and being forced to work 150 overtime hours per month during peak seasons.
Samsung has, for what it’s worth, admitted to the Wall Street Journal that it knows about some of the overtime issues, but China Labor Watch is calling for it to overhaul its practices, explaining that it “can and must improve labour conditions”. Quite how far such a call will go in preventing underage employment and worker abuse, though, remains to be seen. [China Labor Watch via Verge]
Image by opopododo under Creative Commons license
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“Report: Worker Abuse and Underage Employment at Six More Samsung Factories” . “a Samsung audit declared that claims of underage workers at its HEG Electronics facility in Huizhou, China, were unfounded” – so it’s not 6 more then.
Obviously any contravention of labour laws needs to be investigated and if proven acted upon. You would have thought that when the whole thing went down about Apple and Foxconn that everyone else would have quietly made sure their houses were in order before the spotlight moved on to them.
I guess it also has to be pointed out again that Samsung does not own HEG.
IMO, it’s the wooly Chinese labour laws and enforcement which are the problem. Competitive advantage is reinforced by the institutionalised turning of blind eyes to employee rights. Imagine Chinese working conditions were to harmonise with that of the Western World…we may actually see manufacturing return to these shores.
I guess it also has to be pointed out again that Samsung does not own HEG – this is true, no more than Apple owns Foxconn, but it makes for a more sensational headline.
Samsung copies everything apple does, it would seem this goes further than just the products…
Now Taf, you know this isn’t true. If Apple were to jump under a bus I guarantee Samsung would not copy them and I am quite happy to prove this to you.
This is really awful – at this rate every company is going to have to put up their prices to compensate for the rubbish stirred up by these busybodies.
#FirstWorldProblems