Samsung has been accused of overtime and other labor abuses in one of its Brazilian smartphone factories and the government has filed a lawsuit seeking damages of $108 million for factory employees.
Samsung finds itself in more legal trouble besides its global legal war against rival Apple. Prosecutors in Brazil have sued Samsung for violating labor rights by forcing employees to work for long shifts for several days in a row. Public prosecutors filed the lawsuit Friday, August 9, 2013.
The prosecutors' office in the city of Manaus witnessed the violation of the labor laws in a Samsung factory in the Amazon region. Employees reportedly work for 15 long hours with 10 hours on foot to assemble smartphones. Several employees complained of backaches and cramps due to the long working hours.
According to Reporter Brasil news agency, employees not only worked for long hours but also for several days in a row. The report says that they worked up to 27 days without a break.
More shockingly, prosecutors claim that each factory worker has only 32 seconds to assemble one mobile device and 65 seconds for a television set up, according to BBC News.
Samsung said that it will investigate the matter as soon as it receives an official notification and will co-operate fully with the Brazilian authorities. "We are committed to offering our collaborators around the world a work environment that ensures the highest standards when it comes to safety, health and well-being," a Samsung spokesperson said in a statement.
Similar incidents of Samsung's alleged violation of labor rights have been reported earlier. Most recently, the smartphone maker was accused of employing child workers in one of its DVD and mobile making factories in China and forcing them to work for long hours. "Samsung conducted two separate on-site inspections on HEG's working conditions this year but found no irregularities on those occasions," a Samsung spokesperson told CNET last August.
Likewise, Samsung's top rival, Apple Inc., was accused of violating labor rights in several factories where its iPhones and iPads are made in May last year.
