5 March, 2010Trade union/NGO coalition launches global campaign calling on Samsung to accept responsibility for occupational deaths and to provide safe and decent working conditions.
SOUTH KOREA: A coalition including IMF-affiliated Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU) launched a global campaign on March 1 calling on Samsung and the Korean Government to accept responsibility for occupational deaths and provide safe and decent working conditions.
The call has come in response to growing evidence of a cancer cluster among electronics manufacturing workers at Samsung in Korea who are exposed to toxic chemicals. The pattern of cancer deaths bears a striking resemblance to the pattern of cancer deaths among IBM "chip" workers in the U.S., the National Semiconductor cases in the UK and the RCA cancer cases in Taiwan.
March 6 is the third anniversary of the death of Yu-mi Hwang, a Samsung semiconductor factory worker, who died from leukemia at age 22. Her death - and similar coworker deaths - has motivated people to demand that Samsung:
- accept responsibility for the hazards of semiconductor manufacturing,
- compensate those harmed, and
- prevent future suffering and mistreatment of workers by making Samsung a toxics-free model workplace where workers are treated with dignity and respect.
Supporters for the Health And Rights of People in the Semiconductor industry (SHARPs), joined by KMWU, Asian Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC), Asian Network for the Rights Of Occupational Accident Victims (ANROAV), and International Campaign for Responsible Technology (ICRT) launched a petition on March 1 asking people to tell Samsung that people around the world to endorse the following demands:
- The Korean government must determine that Samsung is responsible for causing the worker's illnesses and fair compensation must be paid when workers get sick or are injured on the job
- The Korean government must protect the workers and give voice to the victims and their families who have suffered and bring accountability to Samsung
- Samsung Electronics must disclose to the workers and the public the truth about the hazards of working in the semiconductor industry
- Samsung Electronics must stop suppressing workers in their struggles for a safe and fair workplace.
To support the campaign and sign the petition, please go to:
http://www.petitiononline.com/s4m5ung/petition-sign.html
SHARPS has also produced a video about the issues, you can see it at: