HEG factory, a China-based supplier of Samsung and Lenovo, denied allegations made by an activist group that it had employed child laborers.
China Labor Watch, a New York-based organization, released the findings of its probe conducted between July and August this year. Investigators reported there are at least 10 children working at the HEG factory, along with 100 student workers who are all reportedly underpaid.
After the activist group informed Samsung about the results of the probe, the South Korean smartphone maker instructed the supplier to fix the wage of the students. The group was said to be uncertain whether both Samsung and Lenovo adequately addressed the more alarming issue of child labor violations.
Meanwhile, an employee at the HEG Technology factory told Reuters that their human resources had never hired any child laborer. Apparently, the factory is using a facial recognition system to make sure no child is going inside the factory to work.
Samsung also conducted its own investigation, reported that it did not find any child working in any of their suppliers' factories. Lenovo also promised to commence its own investigation too.
"We are requiring our contractor to further investigate and take appropriate action," Lenovo spokeswoman Angela Lee told South China Morning Post. "We were not aware of the situation as outlined in the [CLW] report, but have moved quickly to investigate...We have zero tolerance for any child labor violations in our extended supply chain."
Samsung is now proposing a joint investigation with China Labor Watch to verify the veracity of its child labor accusations.
