It seems that the world’s largest mobile and smart phone company, ‘Samsung,’ is facing the dilemma between ethics, and cheap labor. As reported by the New York NGO of the China Labor Watch, the company is guilty of “employees working more than 100 hours of overtime in a month, children under 16 working in factories, with failure to provide safety clothing where appropriate” (BBC, 1).

The Labor Watch investigated workplace conditions at eight different factories in China, concluding that children were knowingly employed, they too working the hundred hours overtime. The investigation revealed the company’s lack of regard for safety measures, as there was no evidence following provision of protective clothing. Samsung is also accused of barring its workers from sitting down during shifts (standing up twelve hours a day), with documented instances of verbal and physical abuse, and with some employees only having one day off a month.

This implants a new image of Samsung in consumers’ heads; Nike isn’t the only brand exploiting workers to gain profit. If we are thinking like economists, we assume that producers are always seeking to increase revenue and profit, however, we must ask ourselves:How much are we willing to let others suffer for our own gain?

Sources:

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19504381

http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/technology/story/2012/09/05/tech-samsung-labour.htm

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/blog/business_ethics/97780–samsung-chinese-workers-and-labour-rights

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/05/samsung-accused-exploiting-workers-china