Lenovo denies tie-up with supplier accused of using child workers

Lenovo Group, the world's largest supplier of personal computers, is pushing for a sweeping investigation of a mainland-based supplier suspected of hiring child labour, denying allegations that the company was one of its contractors.

China Labor Watch (CLW), a non-profit workers' rights organisation based in the United States, said on Thursday its recent probe uncovered about 10 underage children and more than 100 students being employed at a factory of HEG Electronics in Huizhou, Guangdong province. It said the company was a supplier of Lenovo and Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest smartphone maker.

The new allegation has again put a harsh spotlight on the seemingly widespread use of child labour on the mainland, a situation exacerbated by poor oversight at the local government level.

Last month, a different Samsung supplier was accused by CLW of hiring child workers.

Lenovo spokeswoman Angela Lee told the South China Morning Post yesterday the computer giant "does not have a direct business relationship with HEG" but added that the company was a supplier to one of its contractors. She did not identify the contractor.

"We are requiring our contractor to further investigate and take appropriate action," Lee said. "We were not aware of the situation as outlined in the [CLW] report, but have moved quickly to investigate … We have zero tolerance for any child labour violations in our extended supply chain."