China
Disney Exploiting Workers: Protesters
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Hong Kong Standard August 6, 1999 A labour concern group has protested at a Walt Disney children's show to denounce the alleged abuse of workers who manufacture goods for the US entertainment giant. Seven members of the Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee, waving sketches of Mickey Mouse with dollar signs in his eyes, staged the protest outside the Hong Kong Convention Centre yesterday. "No workers' rights, no Disney" the protesters chanted as hundreds of families watched the show, Mickey's Magical Tour, and lined up to buy merchandise from the sponsor, Disney Consumer Products. "We want Hong Kong people to know exactly what happens in the production of Disney products. They have the right to know if it produces any damage to the environment or to the community," Chan Ka-wai, the concern group's associate director, said. The group accused Disney of failing to monitor violations in factories producing its goods on the mainland, in Macau and Vietnam. The protesters said factory workers were paid several months late, or only a fraction of what was promised. They also alleged serious health violations such as exposure to toxic chemicals in the workplace. Mainland labourers, working 16 hours a day and seven days a week, were paid only 600 yuan (about $558) a month, they claimed. The group's executive officer, Shek Ping-kwan, said the minimum wage for each worker putting in 40 working hours a week was 350 yuan ($328.20) in mainland cities like Dongguan and Guangzhou. Mr Shek said overtime should not exceed 36 hours a month under mainland law. "Obviously, the company is seriously violating the mainland's labour laws," he said. The group hopes the company will comply with the law as well as the code of conduct in treating its workers. "When constructing the Disneyland in Hong Kong, we also hope that it can promise to respect the international labour convention," Mr Shek said. |
Copyright(c) 1999 Hong Kong Standard Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.