Walt Disney

Introduction

Walt Disney in the Third world - Sweatshop Labour

When most people from the developed world think of ‘Walt Disney’, they consider Mickey Mouse, Disney Land in Florida, cartoons and cuddly toys as key components under the subject of ‘Walt Disney’. However the real truth is that millions of children in Third world countries are being forced to work in sweatshops to make toys and goods for Walt Disney. Whilst the directors make millions of pounds in profits, millions of children suffer through being exploited and working in terrible conditions for abysmal wages. In 2005 the company had revenues of $31.9 billion.^[1]This is a fine example of globalisation and how it has affected developing countries in the way of sweatshops and their treatment of workers.

Walt Disney sweatshops are heavily involved in producing goods such as clothes, toys, books and games. Children of the Developed world enjoy such goods through using them to play and learn with. However children from Developing countries like Bangladesh, China and Pakistan work for very little wages, barely enough to survive , and in terrible environments. In sweatshops workers injure high accounts of abuse both physical and mental. They have no right to speak out against conditions in case they lose their job and trade unions are forbidden. Many anti globalisation activists “argue that corporations who sell their product in wealthy western countries – at western prices – have a responsibility to pay their workers according to basic western standards�.^[2]However supporters of globalisation and free trade “point to a lower standard of living as an explanation for the low wages and argue that their (corporations) operations benefit the community by providing needed jobs … the choice isn’t between high-paid and low-paid work, but between low-paid or unemployment�.^[3]

An example of sweatshop use by Walt Disney is Niagra Textiles Ltd in Bangladesh. Workers at this sweatshop are treated terribly through the following: - Physically abused through punching and slapping if they are not working fast enough. - Forced to work extremely long hours (14 hours a day seven days a week one day a month off). - Drinking water is very unhealthy. - Sewers paid 11 – 20 cents an hour; helpers are paid 7 – 8 cents an hour. - Docked two days’ wages if they talk back to managers or supervisors. - No one has heard of Disney’s code of conduct. ^[4] These are just some of the conditions which workers face. Workers at such sweatshops have no life apart from working in horrendous conditions for a small pitiful wage that barely buys them enough food to get by. This sweatshop is near the city of Dhaka and employs 1,500 workers, 60 per cent whom are women. Along with Walt – Mart and Sorbino, Walt Disney employs workers to make clothing. Walt Disney accounts for 40 – 50 per cent of total production and benefit greatly from the lack of restrictions placed on working conditions and treatment of workers in Third world countries like Bangladesh.

Workers at this sweatshop came up with their own recommendations which they would like to see changed. All they are looking for is the following: - Provide one day off, Friday, the Muslim holiday. - Immediately end all forms of physical abuse. - Pay overtime and wages correctly and on time. - Pay legal maternity benefits. - Provide a proper place to eat. ^[5] They however are calling for help from people especially developed countries who care about there plight. One interesting point is that workers do not want people to boycott products. This is because if sales slow down, then the production plant will close and workers lose their small livelihood. Instead they want to work with management and Disney to meet their recommendations. Every worker should have the right to safe conditions. “However it is important to be aware that the Disney Company has a long history of punishing workers who dare ask for their basic rights. In the face of such modest demands, Disney has pulled its work from factories in Bangladesh, Haiti and China leaving thousands of workers on the street.� ^[6] Since there are so many Third world countries able to provide sweatshops to translational corporations, Disney are in a powerful position through choice of where they can locate.

Another example of Walt Disney’s poor treatment of Third world workers is that of Chinese sweatshops. China has a large population and therefore can provide vast amounts of cheap labour, ideal for production through the use of sweatshops. Also government suppression is favourable for Disney sweatshops in China with “workers not allowed to organise themselves and having no collective bargaining power.� ^[7]The names of the factories could not be identified in case workers faced punishment as a result of damming reports on the sweatshops. Many of the workers who are keen to work in these sweatshops are migrants from poor rural areas. They move to South China to try and find work, this is the only option available to them. Married women usually are discriminated against and it is usually the young who gain the upper hand in getting jobs. There is a really good example of the massive difference between the top and bottom of Disney. A Chinese worker earns US$62.5 per month, US$750 a year. Michael Eisner CEO of Disney earns an incredible US$4,221,666 per month, US$50,660,000 ‘to the power of 3’a year. This wide gap typifies globalisation. It would take a Chinese worker 260 years to earn what Michael Eisner makes in a day. ^[8]In some sweatshops workers are forced to live and eat in dorms which are described as “pig fed.� Conditions in such dorms are a shambles with workers being forced to sleep 12 in a room. Records holding data are falsified so sweatshops do not get into trouble. “The management often taught workers how to answer the monitors’ interviews.� ^[9]

So how does Disney not get punished for its disgraceful role in the use of sweatshops? Disney does not own the sweatshops that produce goods, it conveniently subcontracts to them. Through subcontracting, Disney can “keep their hands clean by shutting problematic factories. By doing so, Disney can immediately walk away from the disgrace and find new suppliers … there are thousands of factories waving their hands to Disney to show interest in getting contracts.� ^[10] With regards to sweatshops in China, Disney commented by saying “We have a strong International Labour Standards Code of Conduct for Manufacturers and conduct regular social compliance audits of the independently run factories that produce Disney branded merchandise.� ^[11]However this is clearly not the case with sweatshop workers being forced to work in horrendous conditions. Factories only take sufficient action to sort out problems when international pressure is applied against corporations like Disney.

One common development in developing countries where Disney sweatshops are used is the negative environmental impact created. These sweatshops are often built on land which was originally used for agricultural practices. Pollution is a major problem with waste dumped in nearby rivers which has a major affect on water supplies. “Free trade sparks a "race to the bottom" in domestic environmental regulations, fuelled by a bid to attract foreign investment and jobs, or whether countries that maintain high environmental standards face investment and job losses to countries with lower environmental laws (Called the "pollution haven efect")." ^[12]Form this Disney obviously will choose countries which offer lower environmental laws so they do not have the added burden of preserving the environment. Pollution indicators are often adjusted to levels that suit corporations like Disney, damaging the environment as a result. Most governments in developing countries see corporations like Disney as key providers of employment and “lack the financial, technical, and human resources required for regulatory enforcement, even where the regulations exist and enforcement is desired.� ^[13]Before sweatshops arrived to developing countries, agricultural practises were important to the local communities. At least back then the local people have some sort of life instead of being detained and enclosed in these sweatshops morning, noon and night.

Haiti is another example of Disney using sweatshops to produce goods. Historically Haiti has been a prominent location for Disney to use and exploit poor people through the use of sweatshops. “Disney has been buying clothes from the same contractor for 20 years.� ^[14]In Haiti the sweatshop workers face the same poor pay and conditions that have been described earlier in Bangladesh and China. However Haiti was the focus of attention after 12 year old girls were found working in abysmal conditions in a sweatshop which produces goods for Kathie Lee Gifford clothing line. Kathie Lee Gifford clothing works with Disney in producing clothing however this was a scandal which Disney managed to get away with. “Disney continued to escape media scrutiny of its own consumer products; the company did what it could to stabilize Kathie Lee Gifford’s career. When she failed to shake off the scandal, Disney wheeled out the big gun: ABC News.� {re|monitor}} Disney owns ABC News and as a result organised “Prime Time live� which was used to portray a caring attitude to sweatshop workers and bolster Kathie Lee Giffords image. However her image had another set back when employees had not been paid in a sweatshop making Kathie Lee Gifford blouses. “Disney managed to stay clear of media brick bats over sweatshops. Such avoidance is easier when a company owns many large media outlets.� ^[15] This shows that Disney has enormous power and ability to stop any real accusations affecting the success of the company and its sweatshops.

In conclusion Walt Disney’s use of sweatshops and treatment of workers is very poor. Allow many kids and adults in the developed world find Walt Disney fun and friendly, the developing world see it as an almost dictatorship through its controlling practises and poor pay and conditions. In Bangladesh, workers are paid between 7 and 20 cents an hour with conditions that are totally unacceptable. Workers either choose to work in sweatshops or face unemployment. Another example of Disney’s use of sweatshops is that in China was the massive availability of workers. This is a bonus for Disney through millions of people willing to work for poor wages and conditions. Disney manages to use sweatshops through using subcontracting work; this is a safeguard to stop any charges being brought against Disney. The environment is another casualty as a result of corporations like Disney using sweatshops with countries offering less environmental restrictions gaining production. Media control is important in stopping negative campaigns and being in control of situations as shown in the Kathie Lee Gifford and Disney scandal with sweatshop production in Haiti.

Notes

1. ^Wikipedia webpage on Walt Disney
2. ^Wikipedia webpage on sweatshops
3. ^Wikipedia webpage on Sweatshops
4. ^National Labour Committee report on Walt Disney Sweatshops in Bangladesh
5. ^National Labour Committee report on Walt Disney Sweatshops in Bangladesh
6. ^National Labour Committee report on Walt Disney Sweatshops in Bangladesh
7. ^Centre for Research on Multinational corporations Disney's sweatshops in South China
8. ^Centre for Research on Multinational corporations Disney's sweatshops in South China
9. ^Centre for Research on Multinational corporations Disney's sweatshops in South China
10. ^Centre for Research on Multinational corporations Disney's sweatshops in South China
11. ^Disney sweatshops alleged
12. ^Global Trade and Environment
13. ^[www.cal-osha.com/articles/COR04-20050214-000.pdf.aspx White Paper on Occupational Health, Safety, and Environmental Conditions in Sweatshops]
14. ^Kathy Lee, Disney, and the Sweatshop Uproar
15. ^Kathy Lee, Disney, and the Sweatshop Uproar
16. ^Kathy Lee, Disney, and the Sweatshop Uproar

Walt Disney's links to Lobbyists and PR Firms

Conlcusion

According to Wikipedia:

the Walt Disney Company (most commonly known as Disney) (NYSE: DIS) is one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world. Founded on October 16, 1923 by brothers Walt and Roy Disney as a small independent animation studio, today it is one of the largest motion picture studios and also owns nine theme parks and several television networks, including ABC.

Disney's corporate headquarters and primary production facilities are located at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. The company is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. It had revenues of $31.9 billion in 2005.^[16]

Notes

1. ^ Wikipedia page on Walt Disney