Equal Times. « Samsung Still under Pressure over Toxic Worker Deaths », 5 septembre 2016. https://www.equaltimes.org/samsung-under-pressure-over-toxic.
(extracts from the article)
Samsung still under pressure over toxic worker deaths
The death of a young South Korean woman from leukemia after she worked in a Samsung computer chip factory as a high school senior stirred outrage nearly 10 years ago. Since then, industrial secrecy laws have so far allowed the electronics giant to continue business as usual despite a mounting death toll.
But recent action by watchdog NGOs and labour bodies, combined with recent media reports, is building pressure on the Korean government to lift a veil of industrial secrecy and allow investigations to proceed on scores of deaths similar to those that occurred at other companies in the US and Europe.
Citing protection of trade secrets, the South Korean government has reportedly refused to hand over information about which chemicals workers were exposed to at computer chip and liquid display factories, which could have allowed those workers’ families to receive compensation.
Just last week, South Korea’s top court ruled against families of ex-Samsung employees who were calling for compensation for work-related injuries, citing a lack of evidence.
The worker safety group Banolim, known as SHARPS in English (Supporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semi-Conductor Industry), counted 76 worker deaths – most victims in their 20s and 30s – and more than 200 cases of “serious illnesses including leukemia, lupus, lymphoma, and multiple sclerosis among former Samsung semiconductor and LCD workers.”
Since 2008, 56 workers have applied for occupational safety compensation from the government. Only 10 have won compensation, most after years of court battles. Half of the other 46 claims were rejected and half remain under review, an Associated Press investigation reported.
In its investigation, Associated Press found that in at least six cases involving 10 workers, the government cited trade secrets as the reason to withhold the information. Worker accounts also revealed the use of child labour as well as offers of bribes to keep people silent.
Some progress has been made elsewhere in Korea. At Hyundai, the car maker must now get union approval before introducing new chemicals into its manufacturing processes. But Samsung’s workforce is not unionised, and the company’s supply chain is among those under fire from trade unions, which are calling for action in petition campaigns.
Equal Times. « Samsung Still under Pressure over Toxic Worker Deaths », 5 septembre 2016. https://www.equaltimes.org/samsung-under-pressure-over-toxic.
(extracts from the article)
Samsung still under pressure over toxic worker deaths
The death of a young South Korean woman from leukemia after she worked in a Samsung computer chip factory as a high school senior stirred outrage nearly 10 years ago. Since then, industrial secrecy laws have so far allowed the electronics giant to continue business as usual despite a mounting death toll.
But recent action by watchdog NGOs and labour bodies, combined with recent media reports, is building pressure on the Korean government to lift a veil of industrial secrecy and allow investigations to proceed on scores of deaths similar to those that occurred at other companies in the US and Europe.
Citing protection of trade secrets, the South Korean government has reportedly refused to hand over information about which chemicals workers were exposed to at computer chip and liquid display factories, which could have allowed those workers’ families to receive compensation.
Just last week, South Korea’s top court ruled against families of ex-Samsung employees who were calling for compensation for work-related injuries, citing a lack of evidence.
The worker safety group Banolim, known as SHARPS in English (Supporters for the Health and Rights of People in the Semi-Conductor Industry), counted 76 worker deaths – most victims in their 20s and 30s – and more than 200 cases of “serious illnesses including leukemia, lupus, lymphoma, and multiple sclerosis among former Samsung semiconductor and LCD workers.”
Since 2008, 56 workers have applied for occupational safety compensation from the government. Only 10 have won compensation, most after years of court battles. Half of the other 46 claims were rejected and half remain under review, an Associated Press investigation reported.
In its investigation, Associated Press found that in at least six cases involving 10 workers, the government cited trade secrets as the reason to withhold the information. Worker accounts also revealed the use of child labour as well as offers of bribes to keep people silent.
Some progress has been made elsewhere in Korea. At Hyundai, the car maker must now get union approval before introducing new chemicals into its manufacturing processes. But Samsung’s workforce is not unionised, and the company’s supply chain is among those under fire from trade unions, which are calling for action in petition campaigns.