cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/50141271
At the end of his trip to China – the first by a Prime Minister in eight years – Sir Keir celebrated securing billions of pounds worth of export and investment deals for the UK.
However, his announcement of a new deal with the toy manufacturer Pop Mart threatened to overshadow his “pragmatic” new approach to Beijing.
The company makes Labubu dolls, fang-toothed gremlin characters that are popular around the world. Under the agreement, Pop Mart will make London its regional hub in Europe and open seven new stores across the UK
Earlier this month, an investigation by China Labor Watch [CLW] claimed evidence of widespread exploitation at the company’s factories.
CLW's list of workers' rights abuses include:
Employment of workers aged 16 without legally required special protections
Blank or incomplete labor contracts
Nominal and inadequate onboarding “training”
Unclear and inconsistently applied resignation procedures
Excessive use of labor dispatch beyond legal limits
Overtime far exceeding legal limits, including unpaid meetings
Wage deductions and lack of overtime pay for dispatched workers
Fines and penalties imposed for minor infractions
Verbal sexual harassment by management
Absence of paid leave, including sick leave
Unrealistic production targets
Lack of social insurance and statutory benefits
Unhygienic food and living conditions
Occupational health and safety deficiencies
Inadequate fire safety and emergency preparedness
Absence of labor union and grievance mechanisms
Recruitment discrimination
Difficulty obtaining reimbursement for pre-paid medical expenses
After the announcement, China Labor Watch expresses serious concern regarding the UK government’s recent decision to publicly engage with and endorse the Chinese designer toy company Pop Mart, including welcoming the company’s establishment of London as its European hub, the NGO says in a statement.
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Alicia Kearns, a Tory MP who was sanctioned by China for highlighting human rights violations, said: “Starmer’s idealisation of workers’ rights ends at the airport, it seems.
“The man who wants to pay to give away the Chagos Islands and strip protections from British veterans in the name of international law just returned from China boasting Labubu will make London its regional hub.
“Will the Labubu factories accused of exploiting their workforce and using child labour also be relocating?
“Keir Starmer may well brandish a Labubu when he steps off the plane, but he should ask himself, what principles has he betrayed and at what cost?”