Reuters: Hyundai subsidiary in Alabama used migrant child labor

In Alabama, a Hyundai subsidiary used child labor at least a few months ago, reports Reuters.

This is a metal stamping factory of SMART Alabama LLC, in which Hyundai is the majority owner. The company supplies parts for the popular Elantra, Sonata and Santa Fe models, which are assembled at Hyundai's main US plant in Alabama.

Some former factory workers told the agency that dozens of underage workers worked side by side with them. Under US law, people under the age of 18 cannot work in the metal stamping industry, Reuters writes.

Reuters writes that it became aware of this practice after a 13-year-old girl from Guatemala who worked in a factory went missing in Alabama in February 2022. Her brothers, aged 12 and 15, also worked there. The fact of employment of children at the enterprise was confirmed to journalists by the local police, as well as the father of the children. According to the agency, during this period, children did not go to school, which is prohibited by the laws of Alabama.

After the story of the disappearance of the girl got into the local media, SMART fired a number of underage workers, writes Reuters. The factory, according to the agency, complained of a labor shortage and is regularly fined for safety violations.

SMART said it never knowingly hired people who were not qualified to work in production and held recruiting agencies responsible. Hyundai did not respond to questions from Reuters.