SAMSUNG came under renewed criticism yesterday for illegal work practices at its Chinese suppliers, a day after the South Korean electronics giant admitted excessive overtime and fines for employees in China.
New York-based China Labor Watch said employees at one of Samsung's suppliers in China sometimes worked up to 16 hours a day, with only one day's rest a month.
Samsung Electronics Co, the world's largest maker of cellphones and televisions, said on Monday that a review of 105 of its Chinese suppliers, involving more than 65,000 employees, had found illegal work practices, but it said the companies involved would be given two more years to change their ways.
The audit followed allegations by China Labor Watch in August that seven children younger than 16 were working in one of Samsung's suppliers in China.
Samsung said the audit had found no evidence of child labor.
It did, however, concede several instances of inadequate practices, such as overtime hours in excess of legal regulations and the imposition of a system of fines for tardiness or absence.
"We have identified the need for initiatives to reduce employee overtime as a top priority, and we are researching and developing measures that will eliminate hours beyond legal limits by the end of 2014," the company said in a statement on Monday.
However, China Labor Watch said yesterday that a follow-up investigation found that workers usually worked from three to six times the legal overtime limit.
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