Olympic mascot maker rejects sweatshop claims

Blue toys in the shape of the mascots for the London 2012 Olympic Games await processing inside the Yancheng Rainbow Arts and Crafts Co Ltd in Dafeng, Jiangsu province, on Tuesday. [Photo / China Daily]

Persons quoted by reports either left factory in 2008 or do not exist

YANCHENG, Jiangsu - Representatives of the Chinese manufacturer of Olympic mascot dolls on Tuesday said reports claiming its products were made in sweatshops had been based on untrue information and its factory is open to international organizations and the media for inspections.

Gu Feng, chairman of the board of Yancheng Rainbow Arts and Crafts Co Ltd, located in East China's Jiangsu province, made the comment at a news conference in response to previous reports by British newspaper The Sun.

On Jan 19 and Jan 23, the Sun published stories calling the factory a "sweatshop". The reports said that workers in the factory need to work 358 hours a month to make only 93 pounds, roughly 930 yuan ($147). "The Chinese workers quoted by The Sun as the factory's employees did not even exist," said Gu.

He said that Zhu Shengrong, who was interviewed by the US-based Voice of America (VOA) earlier, fabricated the story to tarnish the factory's reputation out of retribution for his dismissal.

In its report, VOA quoted Zhu as saying that he was forced to work about 14 hours a day without overtime pay.

"Zhu was fired by our factory in the first half of 2008 due to repeated inappropriate contact with some female colleagues," said Gu.

Zhu had demanded compensation for an industrial injury but was rejected by the local courts.

"The verdicts of local courts can prove that Zhu was not fired because of an industrial injury, about which he must have lied to VOA," Gu said.

He said that the factory had passed inspections from the International Council of Toy Industries and the Societe Generale de Surveillance SA, a Switzerland-based multinational company that provides inspection services.

The Yancheng factory is also an authorized manufacturer for the mascots of Disney and the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

John Hales, chairman of Golden Bear, the company that owns the license to produce the official mascots for the London Olympics and Paralympics, also confirmed in a statement that the factory has passed inspections.

"Founded in 1997, our factory has a long history in producing mascots with high quality, and our 72 workers have a neat working environment and relatively good salaries," Gu said.

The monthly salary of an employee who is not absent from work is about 2,000 yuan in the factory, Gu said.

Xia Senlin, a 30-year-old woman who has worked for Rainbow since September 2008, said that her salary was 2,158 yuan in November 2011. She worked 26 days that month.

"My salary in December 2011 was 3,696 yuan, and we work from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, with a noon break," said Wu Chunping, who is 36 years old and has worked for Rainbow since May 2006.

Workers in the factory make 5.16-5.94 yuan for every Wenlock and Mandeville doll produced, said Gu. "The Sun's report that workers only get 18 pence per item is untrue."

However, he admitted that the factory does not interfere if some unskilled workers choose to work overtime to finish their workload.

"The Hong Kong-based Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, which made the report upon which The Sun based its coverage, may face lawsuits if the situation continues to deteriorate," Gu said.

"It is untrue to label our factory a sweatshop, and we can stand up to scrutiny," Gu said.

A 2012 London Olympic Games spokesman said that an independent monitor has been asked to carry out a comprehensive investigation and review the allegations of a breach of workers' rights.

Golden Bear is also launching its own investigation into the allegations, saying that it will work with the British Toy and Hobby Association, the International Council of Toy Industries and other authorities in the process.