KARACHI: A labor watchdog on Wednesday slammed the London Olympics organizers over alleged human rights abuses at Chinese “sweatshops” producing Games products.
The group said laborers at two Chinese factories producing merchandise including Olympics
mascots Wenlock and Mandeville worked up to 120 hours of overtime a month, or nearly three
times the legal limit.
The workers were exposed to hazardous chemicals without sufficient protective gear, leading
to illnesses, and some had to buy their own face masks to guard against paint mist.
“We are disappointed as these practices are unacceptable,” Hong Kong-based Students and
Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (Sacom) spokeswoman Debby Chan told the media.
Sacom said it based its findings on interviews with 90 workers at two factories in southern
Guangdong province between May and June.
The factories were run by Hong Kong companies Key Pine and Zindart Manufacturing.
Some of the workers reported inhaling paint, being docked half a day’s wages if they were
five minutes late, and being required to start shifts at 8:00 am after finishing at midnight
the previous day.
Sacom said the conditions violated the London Organizing Committee's (LOCOG) ethical and
sustainable procurement codes.
“The rampant rights violations reveal that the LOCOG codes are really no more than lip
service with no commitment to the enforcement of labor rights standards,” the group said in
a report.
It also demanded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prevent such labor abuses in the
future.
Key Pine and Zindart representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Foreign firms have progressively more turned to China for its cheap labor, but rights
workers say labor abuses are common even with the government’s pledges to improve
conditions.
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