Report finds “severe labor abuses” in Samsung factories

Yesterday, China Labor Watch (CLW) released an investigative report on eight of Samsung’s directly-operated and supplier factories throughout China, including factories in Tianjin, Weihai, Huizhou, Suzhou, and Shenzhen. Over 20,000 workers work at these plants manufacturing cell phones, DVD players, mobile displays, air conditioners, and other electronics and related parts for Samsung. “Conducting investigations from May to August 2012, CLW has uncovered a long list of severe labor abuses in these 8 factories, including but not limited to well over 100 hours of forced overtime work per month, unpaid work, standing for 11 to 12 hours while working, underage workers, severe age and gender discrimination, abuse of student and labor dispatch workers, a lack of worker safety, and verbal and physical abuse. Moreover, workers lack of any effective internal grievance channel by which to rectify these transgressions,” a statement by CLW said. CLW said that the problems are rampant throughout Samsung's manufacturing and supply network in China. Samsung responded today by saying they will investigate scheduling practices at its plants, and admitted that workers do occasionally work overtime. The company has denied allegations of child labor however.