Corporate responsibility organisation Sacom has accused a Shenzhen toy factory, whose customers include Disney, Mattel and Walmart, of labour abuses such as forced, excessive overtime and employment of underage workers. It also attacked the International Council of Toy Industries for inadequate auditing and enforcement of regulations, prompting charges of sensationalism and inaccuracy in return. From The Observer:
But Sacom said that parents should think twice before buying the toys. A spokeswoman said: “Mattel, Walmart and Disney, the renowned toy companies, always claim they strictly comply with local laws and adhere to their respective code of conduct. The rampant violations at Sturdy Products, including excessive overtime, arbitrary wages, unfair punitive fines, child labour and negligence of occupational health, prove that the pledges are empty statements. There is no effective enforcement mechanism and remedies for workers at all.”
She said the violations exposed the failings of the International Council of Toy Industries, which is supposed to police the industry ….
Sacom’s findings brought a rebuke from the International Council of Toy Industries’ Care Foundation. “We are the first to concede that much more work lies ahead of us, but we refuse to accept the sensationalist, media-oriented declarations of any group, especially when they are carping and filled with incorrect information. It is simply counter-productive,” the foundation said.
“The plain truth is that workers in many toy factories in China are better off now than they were before and that this is due in considerable part to the ICTI Care Process.”
Source: Disney factory faces probe into sweatshop suicide claims – The Observer
