Samsung should try imagining a world where big firms respect workers

[Judi Lynn]

Pete Pattisson
Two years after migrants working for global electronics firms in Malaysia complained of labour abuses, change seems slow

Thu 8 Nov 2018 02.00 EST Last modified on Fri 9 Nov 2018 06.02 EST

Think of your favourite gadgets and appliances, and it’s likely some of them started life in a rundown, mosquito-infested dormitory complex an hour’s drive from Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.

In each block there is a makeshift kitchen, a small, grubby toilet and three rooms crowded with bunk beds. There is no air conditioning to break the oppressively humid air. Outside, burning rubbish sends acrid fumes through the labour camp, which is strewn with broken furniture and an abandoned vehicle.

To call it a slum would be generous. I’ve seen some truly appalling workers’ camps in Malaysia and the Gulf, but this rivalled the worst.

Every day, the men who live here work on factory lines making components used by Samsung Electronics, one of the biggest electronics companies in the world. Last year, Samsung made a profit of almost $50bn (£38bn).

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/nov/08/samsung-should-try-imagining-a-world-where-big-firms-respect-workers

[RainCaster]

1. This is messed up

This makes Samsung as bad as Apple