China accused over Olympics “child labour”
BEIJING – The Chinese Foreign Ministry says it is looking into allegations that some factories producing products for the Beijing Olympics are using child labour.
A Ministry spokesman said the Organizing Committee for the Beijing Olympic Games strictly regulates factories that make licensed Beijing Olympics products. including requirements to protect workers’ rights.
The committee has promised to punish enterprises that violate the regulations, the spokesman said.
Britain’s Trades Union Congress (TUC) has claimed that Olympics merchandise is being made in factories employing children to work for up to 15 hours a day on minimal wages.
Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said it was a scandal that the official Olympic movement was failing to uphold fair employment practices in companies producing the goods that display its brand.
Researchers for the Playfair Alliance, an international grouping including the TUC, looked into working conditions at four factories making 2008 Olympics bags, headgear and other products.
At one factory in Guangdong which is producing stationery for the 2008 Olympics, Playfair Alliance claimed it found 20 children on the production line. The youngest was only 12.
“These youngsters had been hired during the school holidays and were working from around 7.30am until 10.30pm, doing the same jobs as adults.
“Forced overtime, harsh fines, the punishment of workers, and wages less than half the legal minimum were among the violations uncovered in the factory, which does not give its 400 employees any contract of employment,” the alliance said.
It found 3,000 workers in a Shenzen factory were paid as little as 45% of the local minimum wage. They were forced to work overtime far in excess of the legal limit.
The BBC has reported that one Chinese company making products related to the Beijing Olympics has admitted it used child workers, despite initially denying the allegation.
Lekit Stationery said children aged 12 and 13 were employed by one of its sub-contractors, although they did not work on Olympic-related products.
Guy Ryder, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said, “We warned the IOC that failure to take the necessary action on labour standards would lead to situations such as these, bringing lasting damage to the name and reputation of the Olympic movement. Unfortunately, our call has been ignored.”
Ian Jarrett
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