JOHANNESBURG - The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) yesterday welcomed the news that Global Brands Group, Fifa’s worldwide licensing company, has ordered the Chinese factory contracted to produce figurines of World Cup mascot Zakumi to stop work, in response to accusations that it was running a sweatshop.
Global Brands has suspended its approval of Shanghai Fashion Plast- ic Products & Gifts after an inspection and audit of its factory. Workers are reported to be getting the equivalent of R23 a day and teenagers are forced to work 13-hour shifts to manufacture Zakumi figures.
The contract for manufacturing the figurines was originally awarded to Ascendo Industrial, a company based in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, and owned, by ANC MP Shiaan-Bin Huang and his wife, Su-Luan, who subcontracted the work to the factory in China. Huang has told The Times: “There was an inspection. But when the media reports began, the factory began paying its workers more and changing, so I think by next week, they will be making the figurines again,” and says he is confident the suspension will be lifted as early as next week and manufacturing resumed.
Cosatu says it is “outrageous that a public representative of the ANC, which is committed to policies to create decent work, can take such a callous decision which has deprived SA workers of employment. If the Chinese company has agreed to increase the workers that is a small but welcome victory, but Cosatu is adamant the work should never have been outsourced to China,” said spokesman Patrick Craven.
“All World Cup related manufacturing must be sourced in Proudly South African factories and the federation will continue to monitor all products on sale to check we are not losing out on the extra job opportunities offered by the World Cup.”
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