Brazil: Public prosecutors begin legal action against Samsung over labor laws violation

Public prosecutors in Brazil have begun legal action against Samsung, alleging that it has been violating labor laws at its factory in the Amazon region.

Prosecutors accuse Samsung of making its employees work long, tiring shifts without sufficient breaks.

The prosecutors’ office in the city of Manaus said one worker reported packing nearly 3,000 phones a day.

Samsung plant, located at the Manaus Free Trade zone, employs some 6,000 people.

A worker at the Amazonas state factory has only 32 seconds to fully assemble a mobile phone and 65 seconds to put together a television set, prosecutors allege.

In evidence given to prosecutors, employees say shifts can last 15 hours and some say they suffer from back ache and cramps as they are forced to stand for up to 10 hours a day.

The prosecutors’ office is claiming more than 250 million reais ($108 million) in damages from Samsung for serious violations of labor legislation.

The legal suit was filed on Friday, but has only now been made public.