SAMSUNG Electronics has defended its working practices after a
lawsuit was filed in France against the South Korean giant over
conditions at its supplier plants in China.
Based on a September report by the US-based monitor China Labor
Watch, a trio of French rights and consumer protection groups accused
Samsung of deceiving consumers by violating its own vows on ethical
working conditions and using child labour.
In a statement on
Wednesday, Samsung said it maintained a "zero tolerance" policy on child
labour and had audited all its supplier sites in China following the
China Labor Watch report.
"We are implementing new hiring policies
to strengthen identity verification measures, despite no instance of
child labour being identified in the audits," the statement said.
It
was not clear whether the French courts would agree to hear the groups'
complaint or what consequences the suit could have on Samsung's
operations in France.
The China Labor Watch report said employees at Samsung supplier
plants in China worked up to five times the legal overtime limit and
were denied basic labour rights.
At the time, the South Korean
company rejected charges of "inhumane" working conditions as "totally
unfair" but acknowledged their audits had uncovered some "inadequate
practices" including excessive overtime.
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