Only weeks after losing $1.05 billion in an infringement case with Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. finds itself in another major controversy of violating China's labor laws. According to the New York labor rights group called China Labor Watch, the South Korean company is engaged in knowingly violating China's child labor laws. The company is also accused of mistreating its workers.
China Labor Watch has discovered that Samsung in at least eight factoriesacross China had employees working under rough conditions with over 100 hours per month of overtime, underpaid wages, inadequate safety measures to ensure workers safety and even in some instances employees were subjected to physical abuse.
Samsung responded to the accusations partially admitting to the stressful conditions in its factories, releasing a statement through the company spokesman James Chung as follows: "We frequently review our manufacturing facilities regarding overtime work. We will re-evaluate working hour practices...When new production lines are completed or new products are launched, high demand has led to overtime work," as reported by the Associated Press.
However, the company was quick to deny any allegations of abuse or being involved any violations of labor laws in China. Chung was adamant that the company had a "zero tolerance" for hiring underage workers.
However according to reports by the China Labor Watch, "Even when they suffered unfair treatment, workers at almost factory lacked any effective channel by which to express grievances to management," as reported by the Associated Press.
The electronics giant said that it will audit various factories and around 250 companies in its supply chain by 2012 in order to ensure no such violations are taking place.
