Seoul: In a move to put an end to a decade-long strife with its workers, world’s top chipmaker Samsung Electronics today apologised to those who developed cancer after working at its semiconductor factories.
Samsung has agreed to pay the group’s employees compensation of up to 150 million won ($133,000) per case.
“We sincerely apologise to the workers who suffered from illness and their families,” said the co-president, Samsung Electronics, Kim Ki-nam. “We have failed to properly manage health risks at our semiconductor and LCD factories.”
Reports from campaign groups that have been fighting for truth to be uncovered on the matter have said almost 320 people have suffered from work-related illnesses after being employed by Samsung and 118 of them have passed away since.
The scandal emerged in 2007 when former workers at Samsung’s semiconductor and display factories in Suwon, south of Seoul, and their families said staff had been diagnosed or died of various forms of cancer.
It has been identified that employees have been suffering from 16 types of cancer, miscarriages, congenital diseases apart from some other rare illnesses.
A series of rulings and decisions by courts, Seoul’s State Labour Welfare Agency and a mediation committee followed over more than 10 years, culminated in the announcement made today.
Samsung Electronics is the world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturer and chipmaker and the flagship subsidiary of the Samsung Group. It is by far the biggest of the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate the South’s economy.
Off-late Samsung hase been facing accusations of political connections that were ‘murky’ and the idea strengthened when its de facto leader Lee Jae-yong was found guilty of bribing former President Park Geun-hye as part of the corruption scandal that brought her down.
Lee Jae-yong spent almost a year in prison before most of his convictions were overturned on appeal and he was released.
Relatives’ leader Hwang Sang-gi, whose 22-year-old daughter died of leukaemia in 2007, told reporters he was glad he could now keep the promises he made her.
But he went on to say that the apology “honestly was not enough” for the families of the victims, but, added “we will accept it”.
“No amount of apology will be enough to heal all the insults, the pain of industrial injuries and the suffering of losing one’s family. I cannot forget the pain she and our family went through. Too many people have suffered the same fate,” Sang-gi said.
| 3.2 lakh staff |
| As of December 2017, a total of 3.2 lakh workers work across Samsung Electronics’ global network. Samsung Electronics employs 33,000 people in Suwon, an estimated 22,502 in Yongin and 9,926 in Hwasung. Moreover, Samsung’s first- and second-tier suppliers in Suwon also provide more than 10,000 jobs. |