Hyundai meets with Department of Labor to discuss child labor violations

Reuters is reporting that Hyundai Motor Co is talking with the U.S. Department of Labor about the alleged use of child labor within the company’s supply chain. Back in July, Reuters broke the story that children, some as young as 12, were working in Alabama facilities that could be linked back to Hyundai. According to Reuters, Hyundai plans to prevent this situation from happening in the future by implementing a new initiative that will “roll out new employment training programs throughout its U.S. supply chain, validate identification documents for job applicants, set up anonymous tip hotlines, and discourage the use of third-party staffing agencies.”

Hyundai spokesperson Ira Gabriel told Manufacturing Drive that the company launched an investigation shortly after they became aware of the alleged labor violations. According to Gabriel, “The initial findings of these investigations – which included site visits and/or interviews with 29 suppliers – show full compliance with underage labor laws. As a result, Hyundai is confident there are no current underage labor issues at our tier 1 suppliers.” The investigation led to third-party audits of Alabama suppliers, Hyundai parting ways with two staffing agencies they had used in the past, and the replacement of one supplier’s management team.