Return to 1997 CHRISTMAS Index
Return to 1997 CHRISTMAS Index
Her shoulders shook as she spoke. "Please, please don't tell anyone my name or show my picture. They will punish me if they know I am talking to you". This is not a tale of rape, murder or espionage. It is the story of the workers in a toy factory in Thailand that makes Barbie dolls and the soft toy version of the 101 Dalmatians that Disney is relaunching this Christmas.
The World Development Movement along with the TUC and the Catholic Institute of International Relations are appealing to shoppers in the U.K. to hand into toy shops cards bearing the slogans, "Fair play for toy workers". The card reads "By next Christmas, I want to be able to buy 'people friendly' toys from you". The target of their campaign is factories in China and the Dynamic Factory outside Bangkok.
On inspection, there is little doubt that the Dynamic toy factory lacks the "people-friendly." factor. When I asked to visit, I was told that "no outsiders and certainly no press" were allowed inside. It was left to meet with the employees after work in a cafe in the industrial suburb of Kratumban, an area that was made infamous four years ago when the Kader factory that made Cabbage Patch dolls burned down. 189 workers, including children, were killed and four hundred were injured. They could not escape the inferno. The windows were barred and the doors were locked to prevent the workers from stealing the products.
Several workers at the Dynamic factory today are survivors of that fire. Supan (not her real name) said, "I still get nightmares. The factory floor here is a big mess. We are crowded in with sewing machines with only a narrow passage in between. The fire exits are blocked. Once the alarm went off by mistake, we fell over one another as we tried to escape and some fainted. If we complain about anything, the managers get angry. We are punished by being moved off the assembly line and get put in nasty areas of the factory where the smell of chemicals is unbearable or we are made to work among the men and carry heavy weights."
Two years ago, a code of practice was introduced by the British Toy and Hobby Association on working conditions in manufacturing plants in Asia which supply the U.K. It specifies maximum working hours and insists that companies should abide by local labour laws. The girls at Dynamic had not heard of any code. "Nearly all of us here are on continual temporary contracts", Somsri, who had worked at the factory for three years, explained, "I have worked at the factory for four years but after I have worked for three or four months, they make me resign and then reapply. That way, they don't have to pay me for holidays or sick leave"
The system of permanent "temporary" contracts is illegal in Thailand. It is also illegal to ignore the legal minimum wage but, another girl, Lek, claims that Dynamic has refused to introduce the new rate, the equivalent of $6, that was introduced in October. " We were shocked when we got our pay slips. The older workers, that is those who had been with Dynamic for some time, only got a 7 or 8 Baht increase. Only the new ones got the full 12 Baht increase, to encourage them to sign up with the factory."
The Barbie dolls are made to order by the U.S. toy giant. Mattel, who boasted a turnover of 2.3 billion last year. The company insists that its personnel visit their manufacturers regularly for "quality control, engineering, safety inspections and management assistance". "Oh yes, we see them", said Lek, "when the customer comes, everything is tidied up. They only let him see the tidy parts of the factory. They cover up what they don't want him to see."
Mattel say they are "deeply concerned about the girls' allegations" and have promised to investigate immediately and take action, if necessary. David Hawton at the British Toy and Hobby Manufacturers Association is more resigned. "There are huge problems all over the third world", he says, "In Thailand, the factories tend to be old and chaotic and the workers get $6 a day. In China, the factories are very well run and the workers get paid $1 a day. Next year, Vietnam will be coming onto the market and they plan to undercut Thailand."
Which leaves the girls at Dynamic with little hope of improved conditions. In confidence, the managers at the factory say their big fear is that the factory will be closed down and moved to China, as so many have already in Thailand. Marketing Manager, Mr A.C. Ha defends the company's employment policy, "If we had to provide conditions compatable to the West, then of course we would not be competitive. Do you think American companies would come here if we could not do it more cheaply and efficiently?
To buy a "Baywatch"Barbie doll in London this Christmas costs £18.99. A cuddly dalmatian dog costs £13.99. The World Development Movement calculate that Mattel earn as much from the U.K. sales of Barbie in one hour as it pays 5,000 workers in Thailand. "Surely", says Sue Townsend of the W.D.M. there is room here to pay the girls more than their measly wage?"
After work, Supan, Smosri and Lek go back to the room they rent for $50 a month plus television. TV, they say, is their only leisure activity because the only way to get a holiday from the Dynamic Factory is to resign. "Of course, I am happy that the toys I make gives happiness to foreign children", Suppan says, "but I also feel resentful that the factory makes so much money and we see so little of it."