BBC News. « Samsung Denies Keeping Information on Toxins from Workers ». 11 août 2016, sect. Business. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-37042199.
(extracts from the article)
Samsung denies keeping information on toxins from workers
A group of workers' families has said 76 people have died due to contact with the chemicals.
The victims need the information to qualify for compensation.
They allege Samsung withheld the information from South Korean authorities under the justification of trade secrets, an accusation the company firmly denied.
In the Samsung case, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled five years ago that though the precise cause of two Samsung workers' illness wasn't clear, "it can be construed that their exposures to dangerous chemicals and radiation were catalysts, at least."
Accordingly, it ordered that the Korean Workers' Compensation and Welfare agency should pay compensation. In the case of other workers, the court was not convinced of a direct link between the employer and employees' illnesses.
The issue now is whether Samsung is keeping back information which could help workers who fell ill making its products get compensation.
In South Korea, there is a frequent complaint that government and the conglomerates (with Samsung at the head) are too close for comfort - and for compensation to the families of those who died through work.
Under South Korean law, companies are not required to reveal information deemed a trade secret. Firms are, however, obliged to disclose whether their products contain toxic substances.
Samsung said in a statement that the allegation it had "intentionally blocked workers from accessing chemical information pertaining to workplace health and safety, or illegally prevented the disclosure of such information, is not true".
Compensation for industrial injury, including cancer, has been awarded in some cases, but the group of families say that other claims are being hampered because the South Korean authorities demand the details of which chemicals had caused the illnesses and deaths.
Without it, the authorities usually reject the demand for compensation.
BBC News. « Samsung Denies Keeping Information on Toxins from Workers ». 11 août 2016, sect. Business. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-37042199.
(extracts from the article)
Samsung denies keeping information on toxins from workers
A group of workers' families has said 76 people have died due to contact with the chemicals.
The victims need the information to qualify for compensation.
They allege Samsung withheld the information from South Korean authorities under the justification of trade secrets, an accusation the company firmly denied.
In the Samsung case, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled five years ago that though the precise cause of two Samsung workers' illness wasn't clear, "it can be construed that their exposures to dangerous chemicals and radiation were catalysts, at least."
Accordingly, it ordered that the Korean Workers' Compensation and Welfare agency should pay compensation. In the case of other workers, the court was not convinced of a direct link between the employer and employees' illnesses.
The issue now is whether Samsung is keeping back information which could help workers who fell ill making its products get compensation.
In South Korea, there is a frequent complaint that government and the conglomerates (with Samsung at the head) are too close for comfort - and for compensation to the families of those who died through work.
Under South Korean law, companies are not required to reveal information deemed a trade secret. Firms are, however, obliged to disclose whether their products contain toxic substances.
Samsung said in a statement that the allegation it had "intentionally blocked workers from accessing chemical information pertaining to workplace health and safety, or illegally prevented the disclosure of such information, is not true".
Compensation for industrial injury, including cancer, has been awarded in some cases, but the group of families say that other claims are being hampered because the South Korean authorities demand the details of which chemicals had caused the illnesses and deaths.
Without it, the authorities usually reject the demand for compensation.