Samsung promises to review Chinese labor practices

Samsung plans to inspect 150 Chinese supplies for labor law violations after an investigation uncovered problems at Huizhou's HEG Electronics.

Apple isn’t the only major electronics manufacturer facing questions about the labor practices of its Chinese suppliers. South Korean electronics giant Samsung says it plans to inspect some 250 Chinese companies that supply components or manufacture its products to ensure no labor laws are being broken.

The announcement comes after Samsung announced results of an auditn into labor practices at an HEG Electronics facility in Huizhou, in southern China. Earlier this month, the U.S.-based human rights group China Labor Watch accused HEG Electronics of employing child laborers and exploiting student labor, claiming student labor makes up as much as 80 percent of HEG’s workforce, and that investigators believed as many as 50 to 100 child workers were being employed in various departments in the factory.

Samsung says its audit does not confirm China Labor Watch’s claims. According to Samsung, there are workers in the factory under age 18, they are all over 16 and are student workers or interns and therefore legal under Chinese law. Samsung says it was not able to identify any underage workers are the HEG site, although it notes the factory’s high turnover rate (some 30 percent per month) limited the extent of their audit.

Samsung did find other problems at the HEG Electronics facility, including potentially unsafe practices, improper safety measures, overtime in excess of nine hours per week, and a system of fins to punish workers for tardiness or absences.

“Samsung has demanded that HEG immediately improve its working conditions,” the company said in a statement. “If HEG fails to meet Samsung’s zero tolerance policy on child labor, the contract will be immediately severed.”

Samsung plans to conduct direct inspections of 105 Chinese companies that product goods solely for Samsung by the end of September, and conduct documentation reviews of an additional 144 suppliers by the end of the year. Samsung says it will require corrective action be taken for any violation of its policies; if a company continues to be found in violation of Samsung policies, Samsung will terminate the contract.

[Image: Samsung's president Information Technology and Mobile Communication Shin Jong-kyun at IFA 2012 Berline, via Samsung.]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Get great discount on iOS and Android games on occasion of Labor Day

While America gets ready to celebrate Labor Day on September 3, you should get your wallet ready cause here comes another sale for games on iOS and Android.

The following titles are on sale right now, with the sale lasting through the weekend till Monday. So make sure you take advantage of the offer as soon as you can. Do note that some of the discounts may not be available in all regions.

For iPhone

Madden 2012

Fight Night Champion

The Sims 3

Risk

Battlefield Bad Company 2

The Sims Medieval

Dead Space

FIFA 2012

Mass Effect Infiltrator

Burnout Crash

For iPad

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3

Flight Control HD

Mirrors Edge

Sim City Deluxe

Risk

Shift 2 Unleashed

Battleship HD

Fifa Soccer 2012

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit HD

Dead Space

Battlefield Bad Company 2 HD

Madden 2012

Real Racing 2 HD

Monopoly

NBA Jam

Tetris

Mass Effect Infiltrator

Burnout Crash

For Android

There could also be some other discounted titles that I may have missed out on. Feel free to mention them in the comments below.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Apple supplier Foxconn improving working conditions, says FLA report

The Fair Labor Association has reported that Apple supplier Foxconn is making good progress with improving the working conditions of its employees, though added that some of the biggest challenges lie ahead.

It was back in February that the Fair Labor Association (FLA), at Apple’s request, began to investigate working conditions at factories in China operated by Foxconn, one of the Cupertino company’s biggest suppliers.

 The move came in the wake of a long list of disturbing reports surrounding the treatment of Foxconn employees, with stories about unreasonably long working hours, dangerous working environments where some employees were being exposed to toxic substances, and cramped on-site living conditions. Suicides were reported among the workforce, and worker revolts were not uncommon.

 The situation threatened to get out of control for Apple, pushing them to ask the FLA to help with improving conditions for Foxconn employees, of which there are thought to be more than a million in various locations across China.

 According to a progress report published this week by the FLA, it seems that, at long last, things are moving in the right direction for those working at Foxconn.

 The report states that the Taiwan-based company has, so far, carried out improvements in 284 areas, with 89 of these completed ahead of schedule. Improvements in an additional 76 areas are set to be carried out over the next 12 months.

 As part of Foxconn’s efforts to address workers’ issues, the company has increased pay, cut working hours, introduced more breaks and improved safety on the factory floor.

 However, according to FLA president Auret van Heerden, the next round of improvements will be the trickiest for Foxconn. These involve getting working hours down to China’s legal limit of 40 hours a week, something which “will inevitably cause uncertainty and anxiety among workers,” van Heerden believes.

 Marketplace reporter Rob Schmitz gained exclusive access to a Foxconn factory back in April, giving an interesting insight into life there. Schmitz described the facility, located in the southern Chinese city of Shenzen, as being more like a city, with its on-site fast-food restaurants, banks, cafes, grocery stores, a wedding photo shop and an automated library.

 ”After you enter the gates and walk around, you quickly realize that it’s also a city – 240,000 people work here,” he wrote. “Nearly 50,000 of them live on campus in shared dorm rooms.”

 Despite the work being, as Schmitz put it, “tedious and boring,” around 500 people turn up at the gates each day looking for work.

 With Apple’s iPhone 5 and rumored iPad Mini now rolling off the assembly line, it’s a safe bet to assume workers at Foxconn’s factories are currently busier than ever. No doubt the FLA is watching closely.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com