Unauthorized Disney Sweatshops In China

Posted by Joel
December 26, 2007

Factory workers in southern China claim that they are spending up to 18 hours per day making Disney toys for as little as $0.32 per an hour. The workers also claim they have been forced to stay in cramped dormitories housing up to 16 people per room and fined if they spend more than five minutes in the bathroom. The workers make stuffed animals based on Disney characters including Minnie Mouse and Pooh.

Disney said that the factory in question was not an authorized manufacturer of Disney products and was investigating. Disney requires that factories meet Disney’s code of conduct on labor conditions and they can withdraw its authorization to produce products from factories that have breached their obligations. Disney license auditors have being denied access to the factories in question.

Mark Spears, director of international labor standards at Walt Disney said “Walt Disney take claims of unfair labor practices very seriously and investigate any such allegations thoroughly. These situations often involve multiple parties and remediation for improvement is key to the long-term wellbeing of the workers.”