According to The Guardian, Disney has initiated an investigation into charges of abusive labor conditions in China.

A SACOM report accuses Sturdy Products, the manufacturer for Cars toys, a popular Disney product, of employing child labor and making staff work three times the overtime permitted under Chinese law. SACOM also learned during employee interviews one worker committed suicide after bosses had yelled at her. And other workers voiced concern over having to work with toxic chemicals.

The Sturdy factory, located in Shenzen, makes products for Fisher Price and Mattel, also.

Workers were interviewed privately away from the factory, and an investigator worked in the factory for a month with the following findings:

• Some workers were as young as 14 years old.
• Employees were forced to work frequent excessive overtime.
• Employees were shouted at and denied medical attention in what can only be termed an abusive working environment.
• The facility had poor safety regulations and hid poisons during audits.
• During audits, staff members were paid to lie about working conditions.

After a series of suicides at Foxconn earlier in the year and less-skilled workers being replaced with robots, the investigation stresses the ongoing plight of Chinese workers and rights abuses.

A statement was issued by SACOM informing the public that Apple’s now former CEO Steve Jobs had to date failed to address worker poisoning at the Wintek factory in Suzhou, China, and voiced hopes Jobs’ successor, Tim Cook, would address these issues upon taking over as CEO at Apple.

(Via: Business Insider)