The CLW released a report of its findings following an investigation of one factory owned directly by Mattel and three factories owned by suppliers. The investigators entered the factories as production workers and carried out interviews with other members of staff.
They uncovered illegal overtime pay, excessive overtime, forced labour, myriad safety concerns, a lack of safety training, a lack of physical exams, inability to resign from work, blank labour contracts, unpaid work, a lack of social insurance, use of dispatch workers, a lack of a living wage, poor living conditions, unreasonable rules and a lack of effective grievance channels.
Commenting on the results director of CLW, Li Qiang, said: “Based on this report, we can see that Mattel’s entire system has serious problems, and this reveals a lack of concern by Mattel for its production workers.”
In an emailed statement to Bloomberg, the company said it was currently investigating the allegations adding that it takes the welfare of staff in its supply chain “very seriously” and carries out regular audits to ensure industry standards are met.
