“While Bloomberg was reporting on Friday that Samsung had reported a record operating profit jumping to 91 percent, I was reading a scathing report titled ‘Samsung Factory Exploiting Child Labor,’ which made me wonder: did Samsung’s huge leap in profits come off the backs of child laborers?” Jack Purcher asks for Patently Apple.
“Members of China Labor Watch (CWL) who were responsible for the report stated that they ‘were stunned by the results of the investigation of HEG Electronics, which showed that the practice of hiring child labor is prevalent in this factory,'” Purhcer reports. “HEG Electronics is an important partner of South Korea’s Samsung, processing such products as mobile phones, DVDs, stereo equipment and MP3s for Samsung.”
Purcher writes, “The report went on to state that CLW’s research indicated that student laborers amount to 80% of the total workforce in the factory. During their follow up investigations, their investigators suspected that there were a large number of child laborers in other departments of the factory, estimating that there may be 50 to 100 children working there. These children were working under the same harsh conditions as adult workers, but were paid only 70% of the wages when compared with the formal employees. Moreover, these child workers were often required to carry-out dangerous tasks that resulted in injury.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: CNET reported that six of the factories in which abuse occurred were directly operated by Samsung.
Slavish, indeed.
As always: Boycott Samsung-branded products.
Related articles:
Samsung accused of ‘serious legal violations and labor abuses’ in China – October 4, 2012
Foxconn makes 284 changes including trimming hours, boosting safety following FLA audits – August 21, 2012
Samsung supplier employs child workers, forces excessive hours under harsh conditions in China, group says – August 7, 2012
Liar Mike Daisey blasts Mossberg, Swisher over Tim Cook interview – May 31, 2012
Foxconn workers talk about jobs, working conditions assembling iPhones and iPads – May 5, 2012
Apple Foxconn petition maker Mark Shields a D.C.-based professional activist – May 3, 2012
Marketplace goes inside Foxconn, posts exclusive look at how an iPad is made (with video) – April 12, 2012
Liar Mike Daisey dumped as Cornish College commencement speaker, will not receive honorary degree – April 9, 2012
Apple supplier Foxconn cuts working hours; workers worry, question why – March 30, 2012
Fair Labor Association releases Foxconn report; looks to correct overtime, safety issues – March 29, 2012
Change.org petition calls for Change.org to retract petition against Apple; says based on Mike Daisey’s lies – March 21, 2012
Foxconn won’t take legal action against ‘This American Life’ after retraction of Mike Daisey lies – March 19, 2012
Foxconn glad Mike Daisey’s lies exposed; says media hasn’t gone far enough in reporting truth – March 19, 2012
Apple and the Daisey affair: Why did the company keep its silence, when it knew a year ago what we know now? – March 18, 2012
Apple firestorm leads Mike Daisey to change his ‘agony and ecstasy of Steve Jobs’ show – March 17, 2012
‘This American Life’ retracts story, says it can’t vouch for the truth of Mike Daisey’s monologue about Apple in China – March 16, 2012
Foxconn: The fire that wasn’t – March 15, 2012
Apple supplier Foxconn again lifts pay for China workers; 16-25 percent increase – February 17, 2012
FLA President: Foxconn factories ‘first-class; way, way above average’ – February 15, 2012
‘Slacktivism’ groups claim credit for Apple supplier audits over a month after Apple originally announced its plans – February 14, 2012
Thousands line up for iPhone assembly jobs at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou, China plant – January 30, 2012
Apple CEO Tim Cook calls New York Times supplier report ‘patently false and offensive’ – January 27, 2012
Apple audit led by COO Tim Cook prompted improvements at Foxconn – February 14, 2011
Media blows it: Foxconn employees face significantly lower suicide risk – May 28, 2010
Back to the salt mines, you!
Disingenuous Fandroiders have a lot of nerve criticizing Apple to the max when their own “beloved” Samsung is heinously involved with illicit and immoral manufacturing practices. Time for Samsung to get a media, consumer & fan pulverizing pounding!
“Filthy bastards!”
They all are including Apple Inc.! It is all about the mighty dollar end of story.
Cue the NYT rending their garments and pulling out there hair in…oh wait, it’s not about Apple.
Exactly.
Also, we’re in a Democrat Administration seeking reelection.
So, I don’t expect the NYT will press the present administration to raise awareness or detail corrective action.
No U.S. based Republican profit-taking business in sight either. Easy to understand why they look the other way.
Present day journalism has denigrated to the point of pimping your ideology and scolding those with an alternative view.
Irresponsible journalism aside — what about the children?
I agree with the Democrat party comment. But the New York Times didn’t “press the president administration to raise awareness or detail corrective action” when they wrote about Apple either. I certainly agree with the comment about the Republican business. But to be fair, the last thing Apple can be considered is a Republican business. Personally I think the New York times is just doing what it always has done, selling newspapers. But you are correct they do have a bit of a lean to the left. But what part of the media does not?
Thanks for the comments, GM.
I don’t know or even care where Apple leans politically and my intention was not to imply either way. They make great products for voters of all parties all over the world.
My overall point was historically in the media if a Republican administration or business was involved — NYT, AP, Wash Post, etc. — would have been all over the story.
And if the past is any guide, the White House press core would be involved, as well.
Unless the story is widely reported in the future as it should be, witness the serial failure of modern day journalism.
A friend who has been involved in legal issues for Korean companies (in the past) said, “Korean ethics is an oxymoron.”
@BoC. Perhaps an exaggeration, but I take your point. This sort of practice appears to be ingrained into their corporate culture. Even the Samsung CEO was allowed to continue to work after tax evasion and bribery convictions, because.. that’s just good business. “Samsung ethics”, “Samsung honesty” certainly qualify as oxymorons.
Just like Google’s ethics.
We used to joke about Korean contracts and their “side letters”. The side letters negated all the important restrictions of the contract, but of course, were only shown to a select few.
I wonder how Business Inside will spin this into an Apple problem.
They’ll simply point out that Apple has used Samsung parts & services for decades.
Cheers!
—RASTER
Exactly ! Or that we are only hearing about only a few of Apple issues due to their walled garden, PR, reality distortion fields and moonie iFollowers. Samsung in comparison is relatively less of an abuser as they are ‘open’. .. or garbage to this effect.
iPhone parts supplier and Apple enjoys record profits while employing child labor.
So sad that many consumers rely on CNET For the tech news. I just hope they see the iHaters post as pure drivel there.
Same shit goes for Apple demanding 0.02 micron errors at Foxxconn and them striking because of horrible quality control issues and work conditions and demanding they work on holidays?
So where is that Fat Daisy at? Why is he not making a silly ass play about the Agony and Ecstasy of Lee Kun-Hee (CEO of Samsung)?
Child Labor…..
In a situation where children must work or go hungry employing children and PAYING them is the right thing to do as long as it not abused.
Most countries don’t have the welfare and the social programs to feed poor or struggling families like the western world has it. Taking a child’s ability to work and feed themselves is criminal.
You have to remember I’m not for employing children however is many situations working is the best options for these kids and/or their families to survive. If they can’t work to feed themselves these children will be left to steal, sell their bodies, or end up being abused by families members, or sold into slavery. Working is the best option they have and is far better than the alternatives they are faced with.
Heck if people would get out and travel the developing world they would see what is the norm for people less fortunate than themselves.
Also remember child labor laws were made not to protect the child, but to protect the jobs for adults.
That is a very dark view of the world… I’ve seen a bit of that developing world myself and know what you talk about, but still, in many of those instances, children work not because that is the best option, but because their care takers simply enslave them, so that they don’t have to work themselves.
What annoys me in this whole child labour preaching from the developed world (especially US) is that child labour is perfectly fine at home (see child actors and other child performers), but we climb on to our high horse in an instant when someone mentions 10-year olds sawing together soccer balls in Bangladesh… Much like those Bangladeshi children, child performers more often than not miss out on proper schooling, end up troubled adults (anyone heard of Lindsay Lohan?) and never are given a chance to have proper childhood and adolescence. We may want to be consistent across the board when it comes to child labour; pointing finger at others while doing the same thing is a tad hypocritical, isn’t it?
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You can help stop this practice by doing the same. and complaining. Post a comment here if you think this practice is unacceptable.
I have found another solution. I use Flash blocker, as well as a customised hosts file that points all advertising domains to my own machine. No ads whatsoever on my computer. Since MDN has no ad-free subscription option, I compensate them by buying my Macs and other Apple gear through their affiliation links, which gives them some cash from me. I don’t know how much money they’d be getting from my eyeballs through the advertisers, but I’m pretty sure their share of my $1.5k per year Apple purchases is higher than that.
If capitalists had their way all non-ruling class children would be working 12 hours a day 7 days a week, for no more than is required to sustain this work schedule.
MDN: As always: Boycott Samsung-branded products.
Q.E.D. Not a penny of Samsung’s profits came from my wallet, just as not a penny of Microsoft’s bankroll came from my wallet. Both company’s products are 100% IGNORABLE.