Hyundai presses suppliers for child labor audits after Alabama controversy – al.com

Hyundai has been holding talks with the U.S. Department of Labor over the use of child labor in its supply plants, while at the same time the automaker is requiring third party audits of its 29 in-state supply plants.

That's according to Reuters, which reported that federal officials are also looking at sister company Kia.

The automaker says it is also rolling out new initiatives, such as employment training programs, throughout its supply chain in response to the issue. The measures include validating I.D. for job applicants, setting up anonymous tip-lines and discouraging the use of staffing agencies to fill vacancies.

At the same time, authorities are investigating whether underage workers may have been part of child labor trafficking networks, according to the news service.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell said she has also been in discussions with the automaker.

“I have made clear that the use of child labor is abhorrent and unacceptable, and that there must be accountability,” Sewell told Reuters.

Last December, Reuters reported that at least four major auto parts suppliers in Alabama for Hyundai and Kia have used child labor recently, and state and federal investigators are looking into whether children were employed at up to six suppliers.

Reuters originally reported last July that children as young as 12 were employed at SMART Alabama in Luverne, which has supplied parts for Hyundai's Montgomery plant since 2003.

Both SL Alabama and JK USA, an Opelika temporary employment agency, earlier this year paid fines from federal court and the Alabama Department of Labor, after investigators found workers as young as 13 employed in one factory.

The fines came after an investigation found that JK USA provided the underage workers to SL Alabama without required documentation.

Last week, 33 members of the U.S. House of Representatives – none representing Alabama – signed a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Labor to look into the use of children in Hyundai's labor supply.