12,5 – 13 hour shifts during low season. 14,5 – 15 hour shifts during high season. Seven days/week. Workers under-paid, over-worked and inhumanely treated.
Incident Tag: Occupational Hazard
Lack of necessary safety equipment
Nike, Adidas, Reebok and New Balance Made in China
Workers kept in factory for 12,5 hours, work intensity and low wages drive people to illness, death and suicide. Female worker turned ill in November 1999. She was denied sick leave 3 times, and was found dead in the restroom. Since 1994, 14 workers have committed suicide.
1,000 Workers Strike at Factory That Makes Keyboards for Apple and IBM
1,000 workers stage strike at factory (~3,000 employees) producing keyboards, owing to unreasonable overtime demands (17-19 hours overall factory stay), worker abuse and bullying by managers, among other grievances.
Reebok’s Human Rights Standard and Chinese Workers’ Working Conditions
Dire conditions in 6 Reebok suppliers: wages lower than local minimum wage, workers endure high temperatures and toxic fumes, 80 – 150 hours of overtime/month.
Merton Company Limited
Workers at toy factory toil for 12.5 hours/day, spend 16.5 hours in the factory overall, and have to work all night during delivery rush. Average salary per hour is 13 cents. 17-20 people sleep in one room. The factory uses various toxic materials. Many workers got their hands burned.
Dongguan Elegant Top Shoes Co., Ltd (2)
Factory making shoes has female workers under 16, some of them are sexually harassed. Small dorm rooms are packed with eight workers. Workers stay in the factory for 13.2 hours/day, with hourly pay is as low as 24 cents U.S.
Kong Tai Shoes Mfg. Co., Ltd
Very low wages, 15.5 hours work/day, 30 days/month in peak season, 13.5 hour work per day under normal conditions, use of toxic substances without protective equipment, workers trained to lie when inspected by auditors.
Mattel Toys Made By Factories that Deceive and Abuse Their Workers (Jida)
Violations at factory (3.000 workers) producing toys: during August, employees only received one rest day; 11 hours/ day for 6-7 days/week during busy season; workers in contact with hazardous chemicals and materials; extremely high temperatures in carving workshop; low wages in slow season (1,800 Yuan/month – $282 USD).
Mattel Toys Made By Factories that Deceive and Abuse Their Workers (Cement)
Violations at toy factory (2.000 workers): some employees work up to 72 hours of overtime/month; penalties for not fulfilling production quotas; low wages (1,600 RMB/month -$252 USD); sewing workers often have their fingers crushed; female workers molested and verbally abused by management.
Li Feng Trademark Manufacturing, Ltd. (report)
Extremely low wages, dormitories packed with 12 people/room, 60% have to stand on their feet while working, in busy season workers toil for 13 hours/day, some work continuously for 50 days without any day of rest, usage of toxic methylbenzene, without protective equipment.