Sweatshop scandal puts black mark over Beijing Olympics

The Playfair Alliance alleged that the Lekit Stationery Company, Yue Wing Cheong Light Products (Shenzhen), Eagle Leather Products and Mainland Headwear Holding had seriously violated China’s minimal labour regulations. The infringements included imposing forced overtime, poor health and safety conditions, as well as forcing employees to lie to inspectors about their wages. The firms were controlled by investors from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The Taiwanese-owned Lekit in Dongguan allegedly employed 20 children, as young as 12, during their school holidays to do adult work for 15 hours a day. Their parents, who were desperate for money to pay school fees, brought the children to the factory. The firm had no employment contracts with any of its 400 workers, paid less than half the legal minimum wage of $US90 and imposed fines for various infractions.