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[Statement] Samsung should respect Human Rights
Name °ü¸®ÀÚ Date 2019-07-29 Hits 189

<Statement>

The global standard of respecting human rights in business, It's time for Samsung to carry it out.

Samsung's anti-human rights management, symbolized by its "union-free management," has long been the target of criticism of the civil society not only in Korea but around the world. Already in 2006, labor organizations in Asia reported human rights violations, including suppression of labor unions, occuring in Samsung and Samsung's supply chain in Asia. Although the death of workers in Samusng¡¯s supply chain came to fore after the death of Hwang Yu-mi was revealed in 2007, Samsung continued its anti-human rights management without a word of reflection, and ended up ranking third in the world's worst corporate poll in 2012. And there is more. In 2013, China Labor Watch revealed poor labor conditions at Samsung factories in China, and French civil rights groups filed a complaint to a French court, accusing Samsung of deceiving French consumers based on a report by China Labor Watch. Even when Moon Jae-in administration came into force in 2017, a report disclosing human rights situation in Samsung factories at Vietnam was published, and Samsung became the target of International Trade Union Confederation¡¯s ¡°End Corporate Greed¡± campaign. It has been long since the international community has repeatedly warned Samsung to end human rights violations.

Since Samsung, which boasts such a powerful influence as it refers to itself as the "Samsung Republic," suppressed workers seeking to form a labor union by colluding with governmental authorities and avoided taking responsibility for workers who suffered industrial accidents in Korea, there have been doubts that similar things might be happening in Samsung factories and Samsung's supply chain around the world, including Asia.

What Hankyoreh revealed during its recent coverage of Samsung factories in Asia confirmed what we have suspected. The death of a Vietnamese female worker, the suppression of labor unions in Indonesia, and the poor work environment of Indian factories were problems that have already been faced in Korea. When Samsung¡¯s involvement in the corruption scandal was revealed, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was imprisoned in a detention center for a short while, but Hankyoreh's report still shows that Samsung is still unable to break conventions on a global scale.

Shortly after the coverage was released, French court launched an investigation into charges raised against Samsung. Samsung must be aware of the fact that French court promotes the right to form labor union and that it has become a global standard for companies to practice human rights management even in their supply chains. In fact, Samsung announced its position on the Hankyoreh report on July 10, saying, "We strive to meet the highest standards in employee health and safety everywhere. But despite our best efforts, unfortunate incidents can still occur in managing work hours and ensuring subcontractors meet safety standards." adding, ¡°We will strive to continuously improve our standards.¡±

The standards that Samsung mentioned earlier include the right to form labor union for sure, which is one of the key ILO conventions. In order to overcome the barbarity in Korean society, where numerous workers have suffered trying to form a labor union, Samsung needs to properly implement management that respects human rights, including labor rights, to the supply chain. Moon Jae-in administration should take current situation that Samsung fails to meet global standards seriously. In the end, the government is largely responsible for overlooking violation of human rights in business and yet cooperating with them.

If Samsung truly seeks to break away from its past practices and realize global standards, it can start with showing remorse for its violation of human rights which were committed in order to push through union-free management. However there are doubts about whether Samsung can truly reflect on itself, considering Samsung's silence on Kim Yong-hee, who is holding a hunger strike and a high-air sit-in for over 40 days now. Kim Yong-hee was forced to undergo all kinds of human rights violations for trying to form a labor union at Samsung.

Samsung should prove that it sincerely seeks to make change by starting with an apology and compensation for Kim Yong-hee. If it disappoints citizens once more, who are witnessing how Samsung responds to the desperate cries of a worker who has passed the age of retirement, Samsung will continue to be criticized by the international community as well as Korea and remain a company that is targeted by campaigns. We now strongly demands that Samsung show in actions, not in words, that it actively embraces the irreversible trend of business respecting human rights.

19 July 2019

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