Samsung Apologizes Over Employee Deaths Linked To Display And Chip Production Facilities
Samsung has been fighting with former employees and their families for over a decade after some of those workers became ill or died due to unsafe working conditions inside its chip and display manufacturing facilities. These types of facilities are used by Samsung to make displays and semiconductors, like the Exynos 9810, that debuted earlier this year. Some of the workers that were employed at these factories contracted severe diseases such as leukemia and brain tumors.
After many years of fights between these former employees and their families, Samsung has issued an official apology. The apology comes after Samsung and family members agreed to accept compensation terms that were suggested by a mediator; the apology was part of the settlement. Samsung's president of the device solutions division, Kinam Kim, said in the apology that the company had failed to "sufficiently manage health threats" at the LCD and semiconductor manufacturing lines. Kim added, "We offer our sincere apology to our workers who have suffered
The battle between Samsung, the former workers, and their families has been raging since 2007 when the father of a former Samsung factory worker refused a settlement offer from Samsung and instead pushed to find out what caused the death of his 23-year-old daughter from leukemia. His crusade helped to start a broader movement that pushed to hold business and the government accountable for safety issues in the chip- and display-making industries.
The settlement will see Samsung pay for various illnesses that employees who have worked at its chip and LCD factories as far back as 1984 have suffered. The compensation for those with leukemia can go as high as 150 million won (about $132,000). Samsung also agreed as part of the settlement to provide compensation for miscarriages and congenital illnesses of children born to these workers, including childhood cancer.
