| Date | Company | Accusation | City / Area / Country | Source | Tags | Media |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/08/2017 | Samsung | Head of South Korea’s Samsung Group, Jay Y. Lee, was sentenced to five years in jail for bribery, hiding assets abroad, embezzlement, concealing criminal proceeds and perjury. Lee was convicted over payments of 43bn won ($36.4m; £30.3m) made to South Korean's former president's confidante's foundations, as well as for giving a horse and several million dollars to assist the equestrian career of her daughter, in anticipation of favours and government support over Samsung's major merger restructuring. | South Korea | Reuters, BBC, The New York Times | Bribing & Corruption, Embezzlement, Fraud, Lobbying, Perjury | |
| 03/08/2017 | (Samsung) | Report accuses electronics companies for: holding a large voting bloc on most U.S. green standards groups; consistently opposing repair and reuse designs for their products; instead approve criteria they can easily achieve and earn green certificates. | United States | Repair.org, Motherboard.VICE | Consumer Deception, Lobbying, Negligence, Pollution | |
| 15/06/2017 | (Samsung) | Study of 38,000 female medical records (between 2007-2012) working in three companies producing microchips found significantly elevated miscarriage rates most likely caused by factory use of highly toxic substances - ethylene glycol ethers - throughout the 1990s and 2000s. | South Korea | Bloomberg | Injuries & Diseases, Occupational Hazard | |
| 28/02/2017 | Samsung | Riot errupts after violent incident between workers and security guards at at Samsung Display, screen production unit. | Bắc Ninh, Vietnam | VnExpress | Beatings & Violence | |
| 27/02/2017 | (Supplier Of Samsung) | Investigation has found wretched working conditions in unregulated artisanal mines where cobalt is extracted for smartphones: abundant child labor; as young as four years old working; 12-hour daily shifts; workers earning as little as 8p a day; desperately dangerous conditions; exposure to cobalt and dust fumes; mine tunnels are dug by hand by miners who have no protective equipment; recent death reported due to mine collapse. | Katanga, Democratic Republic of the Congo | Sky News | Child Labor, Deaths, Excessive Work Hours, Injuries & Diseases, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard | |
| 08/02/2017 | Samsung | Samsung battery factory producing the explosion-prone Galaxy Note 7 catches fire at waste depository. | Tianjin, China | Bloomberg | Occupational Hazard | |
| 02/02/2017 | (Samsung) | Companies accused of misrepresenting energy efficiency of large-screen sets. TV's performed far better during short government tests than they did the rest of the time. Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC) and America’s Department of Energy (DoE) have conducted efficiency tests of their own that have turned up big inconsistencies. | United States | The Economist, Natural Resources Defence Council | Consumer Deception, Fraud, Pollution | |
| 12/08/2016 | Samsung | Investigation finds that South Korean authorities repeatedly allowed Samsung to block the release of information about chip workers' exposure to chemicals and other hazards. | South Korea | Associated Press | Fraud, Negligence, Occupational Hazard | |
| 17/02/2016 | Samsung | Interviews underline labor concerns at Samsung facility (~2, 500 workers) manufacturing air-conditions and refrigerators: salaries not enough to meet monthly expenses and to provide for their families; monthly wages between Rs 6,200 - Rs 12,000 ($92 - $178); hiring of contract workers/apprentices for the same work, but lower pay; 10-11 hour daily shifts during high season, 6-7 days/week; cases of unpaid overtime wage; compulsory overtime; workers victimised, dismissed, or put under pressure to resign, if they attempt to unionise. | Sungavarchatram, Tamil Nadu, India | Good Electronics | Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Non-Living Wage, Union Repression, Unpaid Overtime | |
| 17/02/2016 - 01/01/2015 | (Supplier Of Samsung) | Report exposes occupational hazard and other violations at factories manufacturing cell phone parts: use of toxic substance methanol; inadequate health and safety training on the dangers of methanol; personal protective equipment not provided which led to exposure to workers' eyes, skin and respiratory system; at least 6 workers developed acute methanol poisoning; eye sight loss and brain damage; 12 hour daily shifts; in busy season take a day-off/month; temporary workers often not registered for social insurance. | South Korea | Solidarity for Worker's Health, Korean Lawyers for Public Interest and Human Rights, Korean House for International Solidarity | Excessive Work Hours, Injuries & Diseases, Occupational Hazard, Unpaid Insurance | |
| 18/11/2015 | HEG Technology Co., Ltd (Supplier Of Samsung) | 16-year old children and students in the production line; hiring discrimination; mandatory overtime; 11-12 hour daily shifts; 6 days/week; in 2014 peak season overtime reached 7 hours; overtime is necessary for workers to make ends meet. | Huizhou, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch | Child Labor, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Non-Living Wage | |
| 23/07/2015 | Samsung | Court orders Samsung Electronics East Africa to compensate employee for sexual discrimination, racism & wrongful termination. | Kenya | Kenya Law | Discrimination | |
| 28/08/2014 | HEG Technology Co., Ltd (Supplier Of Samsung) | 117 children working at the factory (10 of them being below 16); exhaustive 12 hour daily shifts on their feet, including compulsory overtime reaching to 4-5 hours. | Chenjiang, Huizhou, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch | Child Labor, Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Unpaid Wages | |
| 27/08/2014 | JCY International (Supplier Of Samsung) | Workers riot at JCY Int. factory, highlighting accusations of poor working conditions after the death of an employee. | Johor Malaysia | Reuters, Wall Street Journal | Deaths, Negligence, Occupational Hazard | |
| 10/07/2014 | Shinyang Electronic Co. Ltd. (Supplier Of Samsung) | Adult and child workers (including 5 children under 16) are made to work 11 hours per day, as many as 30 days per month coming in contact with harmful chemicals, such as industrial alcohol and thinners. Monthly overtime may reach up to 120 hours.
| Dongguan, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch | Abusive Management, Child Labor, Discrimination, Forced Overtime, Occupational Hazard, Unpaid Insurance, Unpaid Overtime | |
| 10/07/2014 | Shinyang Electronic Co. Ltd. (Supplier Of Samsung) | 14 and 15 year old girls interviewed say their factory makes them hold false papers to hide their age, so they can be allowed work. | Dongguan, Guangdong, China | The New York Times | Child Labor, Inspection Fraud | |
| 14/05/2014 | Samsung | Samsung apologizes and sets up compensatory fund for 244 employees at chip and display plants who developed cancers and rare diseases linked to hazardous conditions, of whom 87 died. | South Korea | Daily Mail | Deaths, Injuries & Diseases, Occupational Hazard | |
| 10/01/2014 | Samsung | Workers riot at Samsung factory, after late-arriving worker is beaten by security guards. | Thai Nguyen, Vietnam | Business Insider | Abusive Management, Beatings & Violence, Injuries & Diseases | |
| 24/10/2013 | Samsung | A South Korean court says studies conducted to evaluate safety at Samsung chip factories failed to fully examine workplace health hazards. | South Korea | Associated Press | Inspection Fraud, Occupational Hazard | |
| 30/09/2013 - 01/09/2013 | Samkwang Science and Technology (Supplier Of Samsung) | $84,000 of monthly unpaid overtime wages, up to 148 hours of overtime per month, intense rates of work that have workers assembling one cell phone case every four seconds, underage workers in the production line (16-18 years old), regular verbal abuse by management, forcing workers to work barefoot, fines imposed on workers, and insufficient safety training and safety measures. | Dongguan, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch | Abusive Management, Child Labor, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Occupational Hazard, Unpaid Overtime | |
| 14/08/2013 | Samsung | Poor working conditions at factory (6.000 workers): putting employees’ health at risk; forcing them to carry out intense but repetitive activities; 10 hour daily shifts; one worker worked 27 days straight, without day off; workers to perform triple the amount of movements considered safe under ergonomic studies. Brazilian public prosecutors are suing Samsung for R$250m ($109m) in damages. | Manaus - AM, Brasil | Financial Times | Excessive Work Hours, Occupational Hazard | |
| 14/08/2013 | Samsung | Investigation opened, accusing Samsung France of advertising misleading commercial practices by promoting a code of conduct for the treatment of Samsung workers that it does not necessarily enforce. | Paris, France | China Labor Watch | Consumer Deception | |
| 15/05/2013 | Samsung | Female worker at Samsung factory jumps off seventh floor to her death. | Huizhou, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch | Deaths, Suicides | |
| 25/04/2013 | Samsung | Samsung admits using tin sourced from Bangka Island, where unregulated tin mining depends on child labour, wrecks the environment and kills an estimated 150 miners every year. | Bangka Island, Indonesia | The Guardian | Child Labor, Deaths, Occupational Hazard, Pollution | |
| 31/12/2012 - 01/01/1993 | Samsung | Starting from 1993, a 6-year exposure to carcinogens (formaldehyde and phenol) caused ovarian cancer to young female worker at chip factory, resulting to her death in 2012 - Seoul Administrative Court says. | South Korea | RT, Chicago Tribune | Deaths, Injuries & Diseases, Occupational Hazard | |
| 14/12/2012 | HTNS Shenzhen Co., Ltd. (Supplier Of Samsung) | 3 children as low as 14 years of age were discovered in electronics factory (1100 workers): 12 hour daily shifts; over 150 hours of monthly overtime during peak season; crude management culture. | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch | Abusive Management, Child Labor, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Occupational Hazard | |
| 30/11/2012 - 01/10/2012 | Chitwing Mould Industry (Dongguan) Co., Ltd (Supplier Of Samsung) | Egregious violations at factory (5.000 workers) manufacturing cell phone covers: workers consistently working over 220 hours of overtime for the past few months (six times the 36 hour overtime legal limit); minimum daily factory stay is 12 hours; 14-15 hour work days; some work for 16 hours/day; base salary (1100 RMB -$176); workers dependent on overtime to make a living-wage; 200 student workers in the summer. | Dongguan, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch | Child Labor, Excessive Work Hours, Non-Living Wage, Unpaid Overtime, Unpaid Wages | |
| 26/11/2012 | (Suppliers Of Samsung) | Samsung Electronics admits it has found illegal work practices in an audit of 105 of its Chinese suppliers, including excessive overtime and the imposition of a system of fines for lateness or absences. | China | Samsung News, The Guardian | Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime | |
| 25/11/2012 - 01/10/2012 | Samsung | Follow-up investigations at 4 Samsung factories revealed no improvements since report published 2 months ago. 'Worker violations, such as illegally long overtime hours, abuse of dispatch, underage, and student workers, employment discrimination, unfair treatment, low wages, and more still exist at Samsung factories.' | Tianjin, China | China Labor Watch | Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Non-Living Wage | |
| 10/09/2012 | Samsung | China Labor Watch releases hiring announcement found at Samsung factory that clearly demonstrates the illegal discrimination imbued in the hiring practices at Samsung factories in China, despite Samsung claims to the contrary. | Tianjin, China | China Labor Watch | Consumer Deception, Discrimination, Fraud | |
| 31/08/2012 - 01/05/2012 | Tianjin Chaarmtech (Crucial) Electronic Co., Ltd. (Supplier Of Samsung) | Violations at factory (about 900 workers) producing cell phone casings and other parts: 120 hours or more mandatory overtime/month; work 28 days/month; 11 hour daily shifts; low base salary (1310 RMB - $206); workers dependent on overtime in order to make a living wage; workers must always stand while working. | Xiqing, Tianjin, China | China Labor Watch | Abusive Management, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Non-Living Wage, Unpaid Insurance | |
| 31/08/2012 - 01/05/2012 | Intops (Tianjin) Electronics Co., Ltd. (Supplier Of Samsung) | Legal violations at factory (about 1200 workers) manufacturing cell phone casings: about 100 hours/month of overtime during low season; about 150 hours/month during peak season; low base wage (1310 RMB - $206); workers dependent on overtime in order to make a living wage; no protective masks for workers in contact with printing fumes; physical pat downs from security guards; verbal abuse. | Jinnan, Tianjin, China | China Labor Watch | Abusive Management, Beatings & Violence, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard | |
| 31/08/2012 - 01/05/2012 | Tianjin Samsung Mobile Display (TSMD) (Part Of Samsung) | Labor violations at SDI Mobile factory (3500 workers) producing mobile displays: workers reach up to 186 hours of overtime during peak season; overtime is forced; serious gender and age discrimination; insulting and beating up of workers; hiring workers under 18 years of age; some workers receive wages below the legal minimum. | Xiqing, Tianjin, China | China Labor Watch | Abusive Management, Beatings & Violence, Child Labor, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Non-Living Wage | |
| 31/08/2012 - 01/05/2012 | Samsung | Report uncovers legal violations and labor abuses in 6 Samsung factories producing electronics: exhaustive working conditions; factory reaching 186 hours/month during peak season; work well over 100 hours of overtime/month in 5 factories; in all factories overtime surpasses the legal limit (36 hours/month); hiring of child workers in 3 factories; 11-12 hour shifts. | China | China Labor Watch | Abusive Management, Child Labor, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard, Unpaid Wages | |
| 31/07/2012 - 01/06/2012 | HEG Technology Co., Ltd (Supplier Of Samsung) | Violations at factory (2.000 employees) producing mobile phones, mp3s, DVDs, etc:Research indicates student workers amount to 80% of the factory workforce; approximately 50-100 children working; youngest worker spotted was 14 years old; low wages for children, 70% less than formal employees; discrimination based on sex and age; 11 hours daily work shifts (including 3-5 hours of forced overtime). | Huizhou, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch | Child Labor, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Injuries & Diseases, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard | |
| 31/03/2011 - 01/03/2011 | Quanta Computer (Supplier Of Samsung) | ~1/3 of factory's workforce is below 18 years of age, 140 hours/month overtime with one or two days of rest every month at peak seasons. | Shanghai, China | China Labor Watch | Child Labor, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Occupational Hazard | |
| 16/12/2009 - 15/12/2009 | Intertek (Client of Samsung) | Allegations of criminal acceptance of bribes by Intertek auditor in exchange for overlooking fraud at the Hang Fat toy factory's salary and working hours records. The auditor asked the factory to pay a bribe in order to allow the factory pass the audit. The factory paid the required bribe. | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China | China Labor Watch, (2) | Bribing & Corruption, Inspection Fraud, Non-Living Wage | |
| 01/07/2009 | (Suppliers Of Samsung) | Report reveals that suppliers of computer components in the Philippines violated labour laws and codes of conduct of computer brands. | Philippines | SOMO | Abusive Management, Beatings & Violence, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard | |
| 31/12/2008 - 01/01/2002 | Samsung | Employee working for five years and seven months (between 2002-2008) in a Samsung Display LCD factory diagnosed with leukemia, contracted by exposure to carcinogens and other harmful substances with inadequate protective gear, Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (COMWEL) says. | South Korea | The Hankyoreh | Injuries & Diseases, Occupational Hazard | |
| 24/09/2008 | (Suppliers Of Samsung) | Report reveals severe violations of workers’ rights in Asian (China, Philippines) mobile phone factories. | China and Philippines | SOMO | Abusive Management, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard, Union Repression | |
| 13/06/2008 | (Samsung) | Study shows mobile phone companies use cobalt from DR Congo, running the risk of supporting illegal export and unfair mining practices, which often involves severe human rights abuses. | DR Congo | DanWatch | Child Labor, Forced Labor, Negligence, Occupational Hazard | |
| 01/02/2007 | Shenzhen Yonghong (Supplier Of Samsung) | Labor violations at electronics manufacturer: over 200 children workers hired under the age of 16; required to work 1.5 hours daily without pay; normal work 13 hours/day for 30 days (390 hours/month); more than 400 hours/month during peak seasons, 60 of those without pay; no gloves, masks and proper ergonomics in workplace; hand, eye and other bodily injuries. | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China | SOMO | Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Injuries & Diseases, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard, Unpaid Insurance, Unpaid Overtime, Unpaid Wages | |
| 01/02/2007 | Innovex (Supplier Of Samsung) | Labor concerns at factory (3,000 employees) producing flexible circuit interconnects: wages insufficient to cover living costs; compulsury overtime during peak production; limited protective equipment; regular occuring injuries and health problems. | Lamphun Thailand | SOMO | Forced Overtime, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard | |
| 01/02/2007 | San Technology Inc (Supplier Of Samsung) | Labor issues at factory (2,000 employees) producing HDD materials: compulsury overtime; 12 hour daily shifts, 6-7 days/week (72-84 hours/week); union formation prevented by management in 2003. | Cavite, Philippines | SOMO | Excessive Work Hours, Forced Overtime, Union Repression | |
| 01/02/2007 | Micro-device Technology (Supplier Of Samsung) | Union formation is strictly prohibited by management at factory (900 workers) producing electronics. | Philippines | SOMO | Forced Overtime, Union Repression | |
| 30/11/2006 - 01/11/2006 | (Suppliers Of Samsung) | An investigation of 13 Shenzhen electronics factories producing components for many well-known brand names found widespread labour abuses. | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China | Business & Human Rights Resource Center | Child Labor, Discrimination, Excessive Work Hours, Non-Living Wage, Occupational Hazard, Unpaid Overtime | |
| 23/05/2005 | (Supplier Of Samsung) | Greenpeace accuses major electronics companies for using unrecyclable and toxic materials in their products causing pollution and health hazards in poor Asian countries where electronics are discarded. | India and China | Greenpeace, (2) | Negligence, Pollution |
Samsung
