Oslo  - The board of Norwegian telephone operator Telenor discussed Tuesday the ramifications of a recent television documentary that disclosed poor working conditions for workers hired by Telenor contractors in Bangladesh.

The board quizzed chief executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas over how management had handled the issues related to how contractors were supervised and how it would ensure that Telenor's ethical guidelines were enforced.

Telenor and Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson last week came under fire after the screening of a film by Danish documentary filmmaker Tom Heinemann on poor working conditions in Bangladesh plants operated by contractors used by both companies.

Heinemann visited four plants and reported how workers operated near vats filled with molten zinc without safety equipment, and that the plants in some cases hired workers aged only 14 to 17.

Telenor chairman Harald Norvik said after the board conference call that the board was satisfied with the responses Baksaas had offered, and that his job was not in danger.

"The problems in Bangladesh should naturally not have happened but management is forcefully taking on these issues," Norvik told reporters.

Baksaas last week issued a statement saying he was "saddened and surprised" over the breaches in Telenor's corporate regulations.

Telenor has commissioned independent consultancy firm Det Norske Veritas (DNV) to review conditions at the plants in Bangladesh.

Other problems included that spillwater was discharged, polluting nearby farmland, the documentary said. (dpa)