Conditions in Chinese toy factories brutal, group says

hong kong -- A U.S.-based workers’ rights group said it found “brutal conditions” and labor violations at eight Chinese plants that make toys for multinational corporations, and it called on the companies to take steps for better standards.

China Labor Watch said in a report issued Tuesday after several months of investigation that the manufacturers -- which served a few global players, including Walt Disney Co. and Hasbro Inc. -- paid “little heed to the most basic standards of the country.”

“Wages are low, benefits are nonexistent, work environments are dangerous and living conditions are humiliating,” it said.

The report comes as Chinese exports are under growing scrutiny abroad over safety concerns. Last week Mattel Inc. recalled millions of toys, including 436,000 die-cast toy cars from its “Cars” line, because they might contain excessive amounts of lead.

China has also been hauled over the coals for the safety of food, drugs and other exports including tires and toothpaste. Officials have said the vast majority of the country’s exports meet standards.

The report concluded that “shortsighted policies” drive major companies to “turn a blind eye to safety -- and to ignore the labor conditions in their supplier factories as well.”

“Instead of concentrating on improving product safety and workers’ lives, companies spend their energy creating beautiful pamphlets on social responsibility, disputing critical reports and shifting blame,” it said.

Disney said it and its affiliates took claims of unfair labor practices very seriously, investigated allegations thoroughly and took remedial action.

“We have a firm commitment to the safety and well-being of workers and fair and just labor standards,” spokeswoman Alannah Goss said.

Hasbro said it would conduct a thorough investigation.