By Kelsey Cheng For Mailonline. In a toy factory in Heyuan, southeastern China 's Guangdong province, hundreds of workers bury their heads in mountains of Disney's Little Mermaid figurines. Wah Tung factory in Heyuan, where staff said they worked hours of overtime in a month. An investigation by Solidar Suisse and China Labor Watch has exposed illegally long working hours and low wages for staff at factory making toys for Disney and other toy companies.
Workers are found to be working in poor conditions - excessive and illegal overtime, no holiday or sick pay, and for basic pay rates as low as 85p an hour, according to China Labor Watch. The basic pay of 7. Both the excessive overtime and lack of rest days are breaches of Chinese labour law and toy industry codes of conduct.
The investigation, which took place between April and September this year, also revealed various serious labour violations at three other factories that make toys for Hasbro, Mattel's Fisher Price brand and other international toy companies. At the peak of production, as many as 2, of the dolls were rolling off the production line each day, according to the investigation.
Various photographs released by China Labor Watch from the assembly lines show exhausted workers asleep or resting during their short breaks. Without the training, many workers were unaware of the toxic chemicals they came into contact with and protective measures to take, nor were they provided with necessary safety equipment.
Others were reportedly made to sign blank contracts, which were not explained to them by superiors. They also did not receive a copy of the contracts. Photos released by China Labor Watch show workers asleep or resting during their breaks.
