Mrs Ah Hua works in the painting workshop of a toy factory in the second largest industrial area of Shenzen, in Guangdong province. She was interviewed along with about forty other workers during an inquiry by the HKCIC in the winter of 2001 in eight factories in this southern Chinese region.
"In the past few days we’ve been working till 11 p.m. at night. When we get back to our dormitories we have to wait our turn to take a shower and wash our clothes, so we only get to bed at about 2 a.m. The next day we have to get up at 6 a.m. to have breakfast and start working at 7.30 a.m. How can we get enough sleep?
The smell of chemicals is very strong on the site and there’s paint dust everywhere [...]. Our work is paid per piece, so everyone wants to do as much as possible. We got better wages last year. This year we get far less. I work every day and I only get between 72 and 84 Euros a month. For many workers the monthly wage is around 50 to 60 Euros".
INSECURITY AND FLEXIBILITY
The eight production sites concerned by the HKCIC inquiry belong to two Hong Kong companies producing plastic toys and electronic and educational games, primarily for the European and US markets.
In each of these eight factories, interviews with workers revealed long, exhausting working days. Most workers spend an average of 14 hours per day at work, sometimes 18 hours at peak times when there are many urgent orders. During high season, from June to September, a day’s rest is something unheard of and piecework is the rule.
Wages, already very low during this period (between 45 and 85 Euros per month), range from 25 to 45 Euros in low season when orders are down. Most workers report a total absence of training in health and safety measures, as well as violation of certain basic rules in an industry where chemical products and machines can prove to be extremely dangerous. Chinese law is regularly flouted but workers are usually unaware of their rights.
In the factory where Ms. Ah Hua and four colleagues from the same company work, 96 % of the workers do not know what the minimum legal wage is, and 63% have no notions whatsoever of labour laws.
As for Mattel’s code of conduct, there’s even less to be proud of since most of the workers interviewed have never even heard of it and none of them know what a code of conduct actually is!
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO
This is not the first time this world leader in the toy industry has been "caught out" in Asia. In 1996 Réseau Solidarité participated in an international campaign denouncing the working conditions of employees of Mattel’s sub-contractors in Thailand. Under joint pressure from organizations mobilized in the North and the South, the multinational adopted its own code of conduct, the Global Manufacturing Principle, one year later and set up a watchdog committee, the MIMCO.
Subsequent mobilization highlighted the feebleness of Mattel’s commitments and the flaws in its internal control system. In 1998 several European organizations launched an inquiry into working conditions in 12 factories producing for Mattel in China (Call 197). The conclusions were overwhelming.
Today, the inquiry undertaken by the HKCIC confirms the necessity to continue this mobilization for:
greater transparency in the method of controlling working conditions at Mattel’s sub-contractors
active collaboration with workers, organizations in the countries concerned and suppliers
the implementation of buying policies that promote observance of social rights in all countries.
As the Christmas season approaches, workers in the toy industry also have the right to see their legitimate hopes materialize.
(1) Inquiry published in December 2001 by the HKCIC. Interviews were held with 93 workers in factories producing for Hasbro, Mattel, Mac Donalds and Disney, in Guangdong province.
A similar report was previously published, entitled "Chine : des jouets fabriqués dans la douleur" (see order form on p.3).
For more information
MATTEL IN MEXICO
In 2001 in Tijuana, Mexico, one of Mattel’s small shareholders met several workers from a factory producing for the US company.
At the time, major similarities with working conditions in China were already apparent:
very low wages
intense production periods followed by compulsory unpaid rest periods for some
overtime work apparently not paid at the legal rate
insufficient training, if any, in use of machines and products
non-compliance with certain rules concerning health and safety.
In May 2002 a second meeting was organized. The situation had not improved and workers even noted an increase in the pace of work during peak periods.
FURTHER READING
The complete HKCIC report is available in English on the web site: www.cic.org.hk/
The book published by OXFAM Belgium "Jouets de la mondialisation, dans le monde désenchanté de Disney" is available from the secretariat of Ethique sur l’Etiquette at 11 € (53 Bd de Strasbourg 75010 Paris - Tel : (33) 1 56 03 93 50)
An educational tool on toys, for 8-12 year-olds, is available from the Lyons secretariat of Peuples Solidaires (10 Rue Lanterne 69001 Lyon - Tel: (33) 4 78 29 86 71)
CAMPAIGN - WHAT TO DO
You can choose between:
using the standard letter below, addressed to the CEO of Mattel
writing your own letter
or using the letter to Barbie printed on a pink card (which you can also give to people around you to sign).
Your letter: you can cut out the letter below, copy it or use the pink card "letter to Barbie".
This text is simply a suggestion; you can change it to suit your own style.
Don’t forget to date and sign your letter and to add your name and address.
Stamp: 0,46 €
Mr H. Parizot, PDG de Mattel France
27 Rue Antony
94150 RUNGIS COMPLEXE
Dear Sir,
I have been informed by Réseau Solidarité (10 quai de Richemont, 35000 Rennes) of the poor working conditions at several sub-contractors of your company in in Guangdong province, China.
I urge you to:
improve the system used to control application of your code of conduct and to ensure that the workers and organizations in the countries concerned are involved
to formulate corrective action plans with your suppliers in order to improve the working conditions on production sites and to ensure that Chinese laws are observed
to take into consideration the impact of your buying policies on your suppliers’ working conditions.
Thanking you for your attention to this matter,
Yours faithfully,
all mobilized
To make our campaign known, we have printed pink cards on which a "letter to Barbie" and to the CEO of Mattel-France are printed (a copy is enclosed with this appeal, for you or someone you know).
We suggest that you distribute these "letters to Barbie" around you so that as many people as possible take part in this campaign.
We also have documents available containing further information on the toy industry.
Family name.................................................................. First name.............................................................
Address..............................................................................................................
Post code .............................. Town.............................................................................................
I would like to receive ...... pink cards
I would like to support this campaign financially; herewith my contribution of ..... Euros
I would like to order ..... Documents "Chine : des jouets fabriqués dans la douleur"
and enclose herewith ..... x 8 Euros.
252 - CHINA - BARBIE IN THE DOLDRUMS
SUB-SECTIONS
IN THE SAME SECTION