A Chinese factory HEG Electronics that manufacturers products for Samsung, Motorola, and LG have been accused on knowingly employing underage workers and violating other Chinese Labor Laws.
A human rights group, China Labor Watch has made claims after a preliminary investigation had uncovered that HEG could have 50 -100 underage workers, performing the same work for 70 percent less compensation than the adult counterparts.
[url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-07/samsung-china-assembler-employs-child-workers-labor-group-says.html
]Bloomberg reported[/url] that “Seven children younger than 16 were working in the factory of HEG Electronics (Huizhou) Co. that makes phones and DVD players for Samsung, according to the report issued yesterday.”
It appears that HEG was aware of of its hiring practice of underage workers, referring to them as 'interns' to be considered part of a seasonal workforce. The New York based China Labor Watch reported that even the after the company had discovered that some of it workers were underage, they still hired them and moved off factory grounds to dormitories to keep them from being discovered.. The underage workers also worked in the same harsh conditions, and the latest reports of the working conditions at HEG are well below the working conditions from those at the Apple plants.
Student workers and child workers during break time
China Labor Watch had previously published reports on the poor working conditions at Foxconn Technology Group, which is the assembler of Apples' iPhones and iPads, after several suicides that the Taiwanese company had denied.
Samsung did respond to a the initial report telling Bloomberg that “Samsung Electronics has conducted two separate on-site inspections on HEG’s working conditions this year but found no irregularities on those occasions,”
- Overtime of between three to five hours a day in addition to the routine eight-hour work day is compulsory for HEG employees, China Labor Watch said in the report. Workers on HEG’s 11-hour night shift are given only a 40-minute break for meals, the labor rights group said.
“The company has clearly violated Chinese labor laws,” China Labor Watch said about HEG Electronics. “A serious light needs to be shined on these issues.”
The full 31-page report on Samsung’s supplier factory can be found at [[url=
http://chinalaborwatch.files.wordpress. ... g8-271.pdf]Samsung Factory Exploiting Child Labor---Investigative Report on HEG Electronics (Huizhou) Co., Ltd. Samsung Supplier[/url]] (pdf)
http://chinalaborwatch.files.wordpress. ... g8-271.pdf
