Samsung had undertaken a four-week audit at September to inspect the labour practices of 105 Chinese suppliers. The audit team has not reported any instances of child labour but has highlighted a few cases of poor working conditions.
Samsung did not identify any instance of child labor during the audits after reviewing HR records of all workers aged below 18 and conducting face-to-face ID checks. However, the audit identified several instances of inadequate practices at the facilities, including overtime hours in excess of local regulations, management of supplier companies holding copies of labor contracts, and the imposition of a system of fines for lateness or absences.
Samsung will takes several measures to improve the working conditions and to further tighten labour recruitment to ensure that incidents of child labour never take place.
Samsung are also in the process of reviewing a further of 144 suppliers which is expected to be concluded by year end. Android vs iOS fanboy battles apart, it is absolutely crucial to keep checks on issues such as these and it is quite reassuring to see Samsung heading in the correct direction.
Source: Samsung