Operations at an electronics processing factory in south China's Guangdong Province have been suspended pending an investigation into claims it knowingly employed underage workers. The halt at the Okaya Electronics Plant was imposed by labor supervision officials from Dongkeng Town in Dongguan City following an inspection on Wednesday, during which nearly 200 children were found to be working at the factory, Guangzhou Daily reported. The company denied any wrongdoing. Liu Ying, director of human resources, said the identification papers presented by the workers stated they were all of legal age (16 or older). He said the company has lost out financially as it will have to cover not only wage payments but also the cost of bussing the underage workers back home. Most of the children hail from neighboring Hunan Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the report said. Despite Liu's denials, an agent involved in procuring the youngsters took a different view. "They (the factory officials) knew straight away that some of them were under 16," the unnamed man said. "No one ever checked their identification documents. It was the hidden rule," he said. The agent said he found jobs at Dongguan factories for poor students from rural Guangxi, who were recruited by a man he knew only as "Teacher Chen," the report said. Under a deal made with the factory, the youngsters were made to work for at least 280 hours a month for about 1,000 yuan (US$160). For each one that stayed at the factory for at least a month, the agent and Chen were each paid 56 yuan in commission, the report said. A lawyer said that the company is likely to be fined and could lose its license for employing children. Related News
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