Poor conditions in factory (over 2,000 employees) manufacturing plastic toys; use of child laborers (16 years old); 12 hour daily work shifts (14 hours overall factory stay); 6 days/week; inadequate safety precautions on workers exposed to hazardous substances; factory fired ~70 workers protesting over pay and workhours.
Incident Tag: Forced Overtime
Based on article 8(3)(a) of the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ―no one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labor‖.
According to article 2(1) of the Forced Labor Convention of 1930, ―the term forced or compulsory labor shall mean all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily.‖
Additionally, based on Article 13(1) ―The normal working hours of any person from whom forced or compulsory labor is exacted shall be the same as those prevailing in the case of voluntary labor, and the hours worked in excess of the normal working hours shall be remunerated at the rates prevailing in the case of overtime for voluntary labor.‖
A Case Study: Adidas And Yueyuen (YYII-S6)
Very poor conditions at shoe factory (over 15,000 workers): frequent suicides; discrimination against workers; 10 hour regular daily shifts; at least 11 hour daily shifts, 6 days/week during peak seasons; exposure to extreme high temperatures and chemicals; lack of safety equipment.
A Case Study: Adidas And Yueyuen (Jiujiang)
Investigation report at factory producing balls and other sports equipment reveals: 10-11 daily work shifts; 6 days/week; mandated overtime during peak season (October-June); work at least 84 hours/week in peak season; reported injuries; incidents of guards beating employees.
Survey accuses Foxconn of more labor law violations
Research at electronics factory (~900.000 workers) suggests: “militaristic” work culture; exploitation of interns; forced overtime; 83.2 hours of average monthly overtime (twice the Chinese legal maximum); 10 hours or more daily work shifts for interns.
Did Dreams Come True? Workers still live in fear of occupational injury
Very poor conditions at factory producing paper goods; 13.5 hour daily work shifts during peak seasons; mandatory overtime on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays; at least 81 hours work per week (at least 96 hours factory stay); wages as low as $0.66/hour; serious lack of workplace safety; occurring injuries.
KKR Reaps Profits from Sweatshop Labor:Illegal Conditions at Four Dollar General Supplier Factories (Sun Cheong)
12 hours/day work shifts (4 hours daily overtime); compulsory overtime; occupational safety concerns – in factory (700-800 workers) producing plastic products.
Wal-Mart’s Road to Sustainability: Paved with False Promises? (Hantai)
4.5-5 hours forced daily overtime for shoe factory (over 4000 workers) to meet orders, cheating audit inspections, abusive management among other violations.
Wal-Mart’s Road to Sustainability: Paved with False Promises? (Ηuasheng)
Labor violations in factory (1400-1500 workers) producing packaging products: 11 -11.5 hour shifts in busy seasons, 7 days/week (77 hours/week overall); extremely low wages ($0.51/hour), that is 60% of the minimum wage; inhaling large amounts of paper particles and other debris; elaborate audit cheating system.
Investment that creates workers’ misery and poverty; Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) (3)
Labor violations at factory (~400 workers) making digital products; very low average monthly wages (US$117); on first month below the local minimum wage (US$101); compulsory overtime lasting from two hours to overnight.
Investment that creates workers’ misery and poverty; Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) (2)
Exhausting working conditions for factory workers (~1,800) producing candles and Christmas lights; at least 13-hour shifts, 7 days/week; twice a month 24-hour shifts are required; if refused overtime, factory deducts 3 days’ worth of wages; factory trains workers to cheat clients.