Samsung forces employees at its Chinese factories to work up to five times the legal overtime limit, bans them from sitting down and denies basic labor rights, according to a US-based watchdog.

According to China Labor Watch's probe of eight factories, the South Korean electronics giant is guilty of widespread "legal and inhumane violations."

These include forcing workers at the Tianjin Samsung Mobile Display factory to put in as many as 189 hours of overtime in a month, when the legal limit is 36 hours, according to a report released in New York.

Employees at the factories, making consumer products including cell phones, televisions, and refrigerators, regularly stand for 11 to 12 hours while working at a frantic pace, the 122-page report said.

For example, employees at the Suzhou Samsung Electronics Company facility have to assemble a nearly meter (three-foot) long panel and install two screws every nine seconds, while workers at Tianjin Intops, a supply factory, have to assemble a cell phone case every five seconds.

If workers wish to complain about mistreatment, they have no one to turn to, the report said.

"Workers lack any effective grievance channel by which to rectify these transgressions," China Labor Watch said.

The group probed six Samsung factories and two Samsung supplier plants by sending undercover investigators and interviewing employees outside the workplace.

There was no immediate response from Samsung. However, the Seoul-based corporation earlier on Tuesday responded to a separate report from China Labor Watch alleging that children under the age of 16 are employed at a supplier, HEG Electronics in Huizhou.

Samsung said it would inspect its nearly 250 Chinese partners.

"We are implementing a rigorous plan to address any potential violations,"  the company said in a statement, vowing to terminate contracts with any Chinese suppliers in violation of labor norms.

The on-site inspections will be carried out by a 100-member team by the end of September, it said.

Initial audits conducted by Samsung found HEG employed teenaged student workers and interns, but none younger than 16, the company said.

However, it did uncover a system of fines for lateness and absence -- banned in China -- as well as excessive overtime and inadequate health and safety standards.

According to China Labor Watch's new report, those types of practices are in fact widespread.

At four factories, workers "are forced to work overtime. Even if not forced, workers often have no choice but to work overtime because their base wages are too low to support themselves," it said.

Safety is given insufficient importance, according to the report, citing the case of workers at the Tianjin Intops plant "who come into contact with printing fumes (but) don't receive or wear protective masks."

At the same time, Samsung and its partner factories insist on what China Labor Watch calls "unfair or simply cruel" rules.

These range from counting sick days as work absences to strict rules about personal appearance, with Huizhou Samsung Electronics "reported as refusing to hire any person less than 1.55 meters tall or that has tattoos, dyed hair, or physical disabilities." (AFP)

<관련 한글 기사>

삼성전자, 또 노동자 인권문제 불거져


삼성전자의 중국 현지 공장 노동자들이 법적 잔업 근무 시 간을 최대 5배나 넘겨 근무하는 등 인권침해를 당했다고 뉴욕 내 한 인권단체가 4일 (현지시간) 밝혔다.

인권단체 '중국노동감시'는 이날 발표한 보고서에서 삼성전자의 톈진 모바일 디 스플레이 공장에서 일하는 노동자들이 한 달에 초과근무를 189시간씩 했다고 주장했다. 이 단체는 중국 내 한 달 최대 잔업 근무 시간은 36시간이라고 지적했다.

이 단체는 또 휴대전화와 TV, 냉장고를 만드는 삼성 현지 공장에서 근무하는 노 동자들은 11시간∼12시간씩 서서 일한다고 덧붙였다.

단체는 노동자들이 부당한 대우에 대해 항의하고 싶어하지만 도움을 구할 사람이 없다며 "노동자들은 이 같은 법적 위반 사항을 바로잡고자 불만을 토로할 수 있는 길이 없다"고 밝혔다.

단체는 중국 내 삼성 현지공장 여섯 곳과 삼성전자 하청업체 두 곳에 비밀리에 활동가를 보내 직원들과 작업장 외부에서 인터뷰했다고 밝혔다.

중국노동감시는 삼성전자에서 일하는 노동자들이 기본임금이 너무 적어 어쩔 수 없이 추가근무를 할 수밖에 없다고 전했다.

이번 보고서 내용에 관해 삼성전자는 아직 직접적인 반응을 내놓지 않고 있다.

이에 앞서 중국노동감시는 지난달 삼성전자 중국 법인의 협력업체인 HEG전자(HEG Electronics)에서 16세 미만 아동이 근무하고 있다고 주장했으나 삼성전자는 3일 이를 부인했다.

삼성전자는 협력업체에서 아동들이 불법 근무한 사실은 없지만 노동자들의 근무 환경에서 일부 문제점이 발견돼 올해 말까지 250여 개의 중국 내 전체 협력사를 대상으로 조사하겠다고 밝힌 바 있다.