Toronto--Donald Duck's quack sounds a little hoarse and Bambi has already bolted for cover.
Disney sweatshops are alleged to be in operation in China.
"The National Labor Committee, an anti-sweatshop advocacy group that once exposed labor abuses in apparel produced for Kathie Lee Gifford's clothing line, made new charges against the Walt Disney Company, releasing a videotape alleging that two Chinese factories making books for Disney operate under unsafe conditions." (CNN Money, august 18, 2005).
With as much drama as any Disney movie, Charles Kernaghan, director of the NLC, released an 11-minute videotape in which workers–their faces hidden–in the Hung Hing and Nord Race factories say they have been injured by unsafe equipment and show their bandaged fingers and cut hands.
"There's blood on this book," Kernaghan said as he held up a copy of a child's book made in China and published by Disney (Research).
Reporters could see on the video, some workers describe the oppressive conditions under which they are forced to work, including heat, long hours and unpaid, mandatory overtime. Still pictures show the workplace machines, which workers describe as lacking even basic safeguards.
One woman gives a different vision of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse. Holding up a Mickey Mouse book, Haunted Halloween, she describes the dangers of the machines that press and glue the bindings together.
Plant workers also describe how visiting businessmen are given show tours at Hung Hing where everything has been made to fit a rosy picture.
Kernaghan called for Disney to divulge the names of all its factories in China and to make their monitoring system more open to review.
When contacted for comment, Disney spokesman Greg Foster said he had not seen the tape, but Disney "takes such claims as those raised today by the NLC very seriously."
In a written statement, the loved by children Disney said, "We have a strong international Labor Standards Code of Conduct for manufacturers and conduct regular social compliance audits of the independently run factories that produce Disney branded merchandise."
The statement went on to say, "The Walt Disney Company had contacted Verit, a non-profit social auditing and training firm, to conduct an investigation of the claims regarding the Hung Jing and Nord Race factories."
Disney, which does not own the factories, but subcontracts to them, said in the statement that its officials "have conducted approximately 20 ILS audits at these factories since 1988."
according to the statement, "These audits reflect instances of noncompliance followed by remediation. However, these audits at no time revealed the severity of the violations reported by NLC…
"Disney and its licensees will work closely together with Verit to ensure a thorough investigation of these claims and take the appropriate actions to remediate violations found. Disney will also work with local civil society organizations in China with which we maintain an existing relationship to determine whether a role in the investigation or any subsequent remediation efforts would be appropriate," the statement added.
Foster said Disney conducts audits both announced and unannounced.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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