We read with great interest Mattel’s statements to the press today regarding our report on the practices of two of Mattel’s supplier factories in China. This report detailed excessive overtime, policies hostile to collective bargaining, sexual harassment and dangerous work environments, among other abuses, at these factories. While Mattel responded that many of our statements were not supported by their previous audits of these factories, they did commit to investigating our claims. We stand by the content of our report, collected via investigators working at these locations for several days and interviewing dozens of workers and managers at these locations. We consider our report significantly more comprehensive than what workers at these factories described as the audits required by Mattel. We look forward to hearing the results of Mattel’s reinvestigation of working conditions in their Chinese factories.
About China Labor Watch:
Founded in 2000, China Labor Watch is an independent not-for-profit organization. In the past ten years, CLW has collaborated with unions, labor organizations and the media to conduct a series of in-depth assessments of factories in China that produce toys, bikes, shoes, furniture, clothing, and electronics for some of the U.S.’s largest companies. CLW’s New York office creates reports from these investigations, educates the international community on supply chain labor issues, and pressures corporations to improve conditions for workers.
Meanwhile, CLW’s Shenzhen office works closely with local factories and serves migrant workers in Guangdong Province through several programs. These include the Free Legal Consultation Hotline Program, community training in collective bargaining, and the Train the Trainer Program to enhance the capacity of local labor movements.