Samsung has revealed the results of a four-week audit examining the working practices of 105 suppliers involved in the production of its devices.
The audit team included 121 employees who were tasked with the job of ensuring the firm's suppliers across China were compliant with local laws, as well as its own regulations.While the company's auditors found no child labor taking place, they did discover instances where rules and regulations were violated.
"The audit identified several instances of inadequate practices at the facilities, including overtime hours in excess of local regulations, management of supplier companies holding copies of labor contracts, and the imposition of a system of fines for lateness or absences," Samsung said.
As well as addressing the issue of overtime, Samsung stressed that it's ensuring all suppliers carry out a new hiring process that prohibits the hiring of underage workers. It has also requested suppliers utilize an electronic device to detect fake IDs.
By the end of the 2012, the South Korean company wants suppliers to fix contract discrepancies, in addition to eliminating fines when employees are absent or late. It also wants to open hotlines where workers can anonymously report abuses. In order to address long working hours, the company stated it is "researching and developing measures that will eliminate hours beyond legal limits by the end of 2014."
Samsung is currently reviewing 144 more supplier companies in China and is expected to be completed by year's end. When 2013 arrives, it'll monitor a total of 249 supplier facilities via a third-party audit company.
"Samsung takes concerns about working conditions in China seriously and, whenever an issue is identified, we take immediate and appropriate steps to correct it," the company added. "Our goal is to assess, improve, and continuously monitor every aspect of working conditions at Samsung supplier facilities to meet our own high standards."
