Samsung has been fined R$10 million ($3.1 million) in Brazil following claims from several senior members of its staff for moral harassment. Employees had complained to the Brazilian Labor Prosecution Office that the company made endless demands to deliver complicated projects under incredibly tight deadlines. They were even forced to drink alcohol at happy hour sessions. Employees' English skills were mocked. Senior executives would call their subordinates “lazy” and “dumb.” A female employee was apparently fired for being overweight.
The company has now committed to invest R$5 million in corporate marketing to raise awareness about moral harassment or child labor. Campaigns will run on Brazilian TV, radio and print media. Samsung Brazil will donate the remaining R$5 million to several non-profit organizations picked by the Labor Courts.
In a statement issued to the media Samsung Brazil said that this commitment doesn't “imply a recognition of individual moral harassment to anyone.” The company said it is fully committed to “treating staff with dignity and providing an environment that meets the highest standards of health, safety and wellbeing.”
