Samsung said a sample size of 45 female workers is insufficient to conclude its workers suffer from health problems like fatigue, dizziness and miscarriages.
vnexpress.net_A new report has revealed a series of health and workplace violations at Samsung plants in Vietnam, but the South Korean tech giant has categorically rejected the claims.
The study, which was released early this month, reported “serious” labor code violations at an industrial giant that is one of the leading investors and employers in the country.
45 female workers reported extreme fatigue, fainting and dizziness at work, and said that miscarriages were extremely common, according to the study by the Hanoi-based Research Center for Gender, Family and Environment in Development (CGFED) and IPEN, a global network of environment and health NGOs.
They also said that workers, including pregnant women, were required to stand for the entire 8-12 hour shifts or face a pay cut. They had limited breaks and had to ask to use the restroom.
Many are rostered on alternating day and night shift shifts, regardless of weekends, they said.
Workers said they had experienced problems with their eyesight, nose bleeds and stomach aches, as well as joint and leg pains.
No workers have received copies of their contracts, which is mandatory under Vietnamese labor laws, according to the report.
Samsung Electronics operates two cellphone plants in Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen in northern Vietnam, which produce around half of all the cellphones that Samsung supplies to the global market.
The plants, which had 149,000 staff as of the end of April, made $36 billion last year, accounting for 68 percent of all revenue from the countrys electronics industry, which is the highest grossing sector in Vietnam.
Joe DiGangi, IPENs Senior Science and Technical Advisor, said that the study is important because the lives and rights of workers in the electronics industry in Vietnam have been “neglected”.
“Companies make a lot of money in Vietnam, but their profit rests on the tired shoulders of the female-majority workforce,” he said.
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