Workers Chinese Protest at Factory Making Toys for McDonalds - New York Times
July 28, 2006 Chinese Workers Protest at Factory Making Toys for McDonalds By JIM YARDLEY BEIJING, July 27 A violent protest erupted last weekend at a factory in southern China that makes toys for McDonalds and other international companies, a rights group said Thursday, and the local police were called to the scene to restore order. China Labor Watch, a New York-based labor rights group, described in a news release a riot by more than 1,000 workers protesting low pay and poor living conditions at the factory in the industrial city of Dongguan. However, a distributor for the factory said the unrest was not about wages or conditions but was instead prompted by a disgruntled worker who had been laid off. Efforts to reach factory workers on Thursday were unsuccessful. A police officer in Dongguan confirmed by telephone that officers had been summoned to the factory, but he refused to describe what happened. An account of the matter posted at Tianya Club, a popular Chinese Internet forum, told of a violent clash between workers and security guards that had spilled out of two dormitories. The anonymous writer said workers had opened fire hydrants to push back guards and cars were overturned and computers smashed until the riot police finally took control of the factory. The factory is owned by the Merton Company, based in Hong Kong, which manufactures promotional toys and other products. Mertons Web site lists Disney and McDonalds among its customers. Workers told China Labor Watch that roughly half of the toys made at the factory were supplied to McDonalds, presumably for Happy Meals. Lisa Howard, director of corporate communications for McDonalds, said it had purchased toys from the factory through a supplier, Creata Promotion. She said Creata was investigating the matter. We need to get more of the facts, she said. We want a full and investigation, Creata has committed to that. Michael Lillioja, executive director of Creata, confirmed by e-mail that an investigation was under way but raised doubts about China Labor Watchs characterization of the incident. He said the factory had won awards for workplace safety and was regularly monitored by outside agencies. In a statement included in his e-mail message, Creata said the episode was not a wage or hour issue but quoted factory officials as blaming a disgruntled employee who was terminated. Apparently, it continued, that termination led to some of the employees friends causing acts of vandalism at the plant, which required local police to respond. We understand that arrests were made and that the local authorities responded appropriately. Merton officials in Hong Kong could not be reached for comment. A staff member at China Labor Watch said witnesses had described the protests to the groups executive director, Li Qiang, by telephone. The group has been investigating Merton at least since 2001, when it issued a report critical of the companys labor practices. In the statement released Thursday, China Labor Watch said dozen...