Samsung Electronics Co. was sued by a Brazil public prosecutor who says workers at a company factory were subject to unsafe conditions, according to a statement on a government website.
The Public Prosecutor for Labor of the Amazon is suing Samsung for 250 million reais ($108 million), according to a ministry website. Samsung’s plant in Manaus, northern Brazil, employs about 6,000 people, according to the statement.
Employees in Manaus performed triple the amount of movements considered safe under ergonomic studies, and some worked 10 hours on their feet, according to the statement. Last year, cases of tendinitis, bursitis and repetitive strain injuries generated more than 2,000 sick leaves of as many as 15 days, according to the statement by the Public Prosecutor for Labor of the Amazon. Legal action was taken Aug. 9 after three government inspections and was signed by officials including Labor Prosecutor General Luis Camargo.
Samsung will “conduct a thorough review and fully cooperate with the Brazilian authorities” once it receives a complaint, the Suwon, South Korea-based company said in an e- mailed statement.
“We take great care to provide a workplace environment that assures the highest industry standards of health, safety, and welfare for our employees across the world,” the company said.
–With assistance from Anabela Reis in Lisbon, Portugal. Editors: Michael Tighe, Aaron Clark