Hyundai probing child labour in US supply chain

Damage control: Visitors look at an electric global modular platform for Hyundai Ioniq 5 at an auto show in Asia. The South Korean auto giant says it intends to sever relations with the two Alabama supplier plants under scrutiny for deploying underage labour as soon as possible. — Bloomberg

DETROIT: Hyundai Motor Co, South Korea’s top automaker, is investigating child labour violations in its US supply chain and plans to “sever ties” with Hyundai suppliers in Alabama found to have relied on underage workers, the company’s global chief operating officer Jose Munoz has told Reuters.

A Reuters investigative report in July documented children, including a 12-year-old, working at a Hyundai-controlled metal stamping plant in rural Luverne, Alabama, called SMART Alabama, LLC.