We’ve already seen that life in a Samsung Electronics plant can be dangerous, but it unfortunately seems as if there may be even more heinous issues at hand.
China Labor Watch, an activist organisation based in the USA, has released a disturbing new report alleging that child labour is employed within a Samsung supplier’s factory.
Shinyang Electronics of Dongguan, China, provide parts and covers for Samsung’s mobile devices, and China Labor Watch claims that several of their seasoned workers on the assembly line are minors. Not only that, but they are allegedly made to work seven days a week, 11 hours a day, with no paid overtime. The report also speaks of dangerous working conditions and poor living conditions.
A Samsung spokesperson said, “We are urgently looking into the latest allegations and will take appropriate measures in accordance with our policies to prevent any cases of child labor in our suppliers.”
Those distressed by the news may take some comfort in knowing that, just last month, an audit filed by Samsung itself looking into all 200 of its supplier factories in 2013 returned zero instances of child labour.
Samsung has been accused of this sort of violation before though, for example in 2013 when the Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Employment actually sued them for labour law violations. It may well be the case that, with such an incredibly sprawling, storied empire, Samsung may simply struggle to keep up with every individual movement of its suppliers.
Hopefully we see a conclusive resolution to this issue in the near future.
UPDATE: Sure enough, Samsung has investigated the issue itself and found evidence of probably child labour in the factory in question. For now it has ‘temporarily suspended business’ with Shinyang, pending further investigation. Chinese authorities are also investigating.