With Christmas only a month away, it might be worth considering how many of the toys under the Christmas Tree this year were made. It turns out many popular toys manufactured in China including Optimus Prime, Mickey Mouse, and Barbie are among those made by workers who have had their rights taken away, according to China Labor Watch (CLW).

The independent labor watchdog released a 66 page report in which it detailed 20 labor violations committed by four Guangdong toy factories that manufacture toys for companies like Hasbro, Disney, Crayola, Mattel and Fisher-Price .

Through undercover probes and interviews with factory workers, the report accuses the factories of numerous labor violations including unpaid wages and overtime, poor workplace safety, hiring discrimination, abusive management, non-existent labor contracts, and lack of union representation.

CLW said no progress has been made since a similar report in 2007 which contained many of the same violations.

CLW points to the relationship toy companies have with their Chinese suppliers that puts toy factories and their workers at a disadvantage. This relationship is also said to absolve toy companies of any responsibility should something go wrong, even allowing them to appear to side with workers that have had their rights violated.

Photo: hc360