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A chinese manufacturer that works with Samsung and Motorola has reportedly been utilising child labour.
According to Bloomberg, a report filed by the China Labor Group – the New York-based human rights organisation that exposed conditions at the Foxconn factories – shows that seven children aged less than 16 were found to be working at factories belonging to HEG Electronics.
The children allegedly faced the same working conditions as the adult workers, but were paid only 70 per cent of the standard adult wage.
The company has clearly violated Chinese labour laws,” commented China Labor Watch. “A serious light needs to be shined on these issues.”
However, Samsung spokesman Nam Ki Yun stated that “Samsung Electronics has conducted two separate on-site inspections on HEG’s working conditions this year but found no irregularities on those occasions.”
This may indeed be the case – Foxconn was reported to have reassigned younger workers to other departments during inspections, while The Verge cites reports that one 14-year-old HEG employee was fired so that her real age wouldn’t be uncovered by an audit.
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