Samsung has been cleared from all claims regarding its employment of child labour after a four-week audit was conducted on 105 suppliers involved in the production of its device all across China. The claims were put forth in August by the China Labour Watch, after charging one of Samsung’s suppliers, HEG Electronics, with the employment of people under 16 years of age. Samsung refuted the claim and tasked a team of 121 of its employees to ensure that all of the company’s suppliers were compliant with local laws as well as its own stern ‘zero tolerance policy on child labour violations’.
The details of the audit revealed several instances of inadequate practices, however, although none of them consisted of employment of child labour. Some of these include the overtime working of employees exceeding the limits established by local regulations, copies of labour contracts being held by management of supplier companies, and an imposition of a system of penalties for tardiness or absences not mandated by the state or company regulations.
In response to the results of the audit, Samsung has made active steps to eliminate the issues raised by the audit and has also established new policies to consolidate the China Labour Watch’s sense of security regarding their concerns of child labour. The suppliers will be adopting a new hiring process, where employers will be required to use an electronic device to detect fake IDs and prevent underage applicants from being employed.
Additionally, Samsung will task suppliers with a rectification of contract discrepancies by the end of the year as well as a company-mandated abolishment of any penalty systems imposed by suppliers on late or absent employees. Workers will now also have access to an open hotline where they can anonymously report any abuses that they have witnessed or been subjected to. By the end of 2014, Samsung has confirmed that they will have developed appropriate and legally just measures to tackle the overtime problem.
The China Labour Watch has identified and brought to notice several instances of factories employing and overworking underage workers. They have also taken action against factories that force workers to work for hours exceeding limits established by state regulations such as Foxconn, a component-supplier to companies like Apple and Microsoft. Foxconn had been found to overwork employees in Apple supply facilities and has since promised to modify this practice as well as increase employee wages.
Samsung has stated that they will be reviewing another 144 suppliers in China by the end of the year and will be strictly monitoring all 249 suppliers through a third-party audit company to ensure that no further violations of state regulations can be committed.
