China Labor Watch published a report on December 14,2012, which does not make great reading for Samsung.
The organization conducted an investigation at HTNS Shenzhen Co., Ltd factory, which mainly assembles Samsung cell phone covers and is a Samsung partner factory. The results show that despite Samsung’s best effort to clean up their act, there are still signs of inadequate accommodation, health and safety concerns and child labor.
Child Labour
The labor watch organization stated that on their inspection, there were at least three workers that were below the statutory working age of 16 years. However, it was noted that the factory hires other companies to vet prospective workers.
“The factory uses labor dispatch companies to hire a portion of its workers. Some of these companies, for their own economic interests, will create fraudulent IDs in order to get child labor into HTNS, and HTNS doesn’t carry out strict verifications,” the Report stated. “This has resulted in child workers and adult workers working together without sufficient concern for the children.”
Health and Safety
According to the report there are quite a few concerns in this area as well. With regards ventilation in the factory, the report stated that windows are tightly close with only air conditioners and doors vents providing the much needed air circulation.
“The fire hydrant lacks both an inspection time and a certification,” the organisation states. “There is only one fire extinguisher in the factory; it is rusty and empty.”
It was also noted that workers do not know whether or not there are fire drills.
Source: China Labor Watch
