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Smart Union (Hejun) Toy Factory Workers Protest in Dongguan

10:33 Oct 17 2008 Smart Union Toy Factory, Dongguan China

Smart Union (Hejun) Toy Factory Workers Protest in Dongguan
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From The Telegraph:

Smart Union, which supplied household brands such as Mattel and Disney, went bankrupt earlier this week, leaving 7,000 workers both jobless and in many cases homeless.

The company, which is listed in Hong Kong, blamed an over-reliance on the US market for its collapse and did not clarify whether its staff would be paid.

"I have not been paid for two months and I cannot afford to rent an apartment in the city," said Ma Ping, a worker, to the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper. She added that she had seen suppliers block the factory gate in protest in the past. Mrs Ma slept in the dormitories that Smart Union provided on site.

"This is the first private company in China to go bust because of the financial crisis," said Chao Gang Ling, a professor at Shanghai's Finance University.

A spokesman for the municipal government said that officials were locked in talks with representatives of the workforce to try to resolve the crisis.

The protests outside the factory have not resulted in any injuries yet, although the local police have threatened some dissidents with prison sentences if they continue to vent their anger.

On its website, the local government said: "At this time I hope you will respect the law and not do anything that would hurt or cause concern to your parents and family."

Smart Union had already announced a loss of more than £14 million to the Hong Kong exchange for the first half of the year.

State media has reported that in the first seven months of this year, 3,631 toy makers in China, or 53 per cent of the total, went out of business thanks to a combination of rising wages, rising raw material costs and stricter pre-Olympic regulations, which delayed shipments. Most of the businesses were selling less than $100,000 (£58,000) a year, according to the General Administration of Customs.

From Southern Metropolis Daily:

就是在昨天,我们都还在工厂里上班,但今天工厂突然就倒闭了。”面对突如其来的变故,东莞樟木头最大玩具厂———合俊玩具厂许多工人有些手足无措。

  合俊玩具厂倒闭后,数千员工在昨日走上街头,四顾茫然;供应商更是面对紧闭的厂门,徒叹无奈。合俊集团高层们或关手机,或启用“来电提醒”业务,集体蒸发。

  8月后的工资无着落

  昨天下午,记者来到合俊玩具厂,工厂已经被封了,员工不能随便进去,厂门口围满工人。工厂大门上贴着一份政府《通告》,上面写着:“你们为父母分忧,为改善家庭生活而远离家乡,对此我们镇政府表示衷心的感谢,然而由于企业者经营不善导致企业倒闭……”,内容主要是安抚工厂员工,称政府已经成立专门的工作小组,尽力解决员工的工资问题。工人们看着《通告》,议论着,希望能拿到拖欠的工资。有工人告诉记者,8月份起就没拿到工资了。

  欠款至少上千万

  昨日,不少供应商闻讯而来,抱着一丝希望守在工厂门口。

  较早知道工厂倒闭的供货商阿喜(化名)告诉记者称,合俊的老板是上周六离开工厂的,一直到本周一均未露面,当时一些香港的管理人员还在。本周二,工厂的管理层突然都“消失”了。昨晚12时左右,樟木头法院开始封厂。

  阿喜向记者透露,听说合俊的老板在福建的金矿亏损,资金方面出现了问题,还欠了不少供货商的货款,“据我了解,有一个供货商被拖欠了近2000万,并且还有许多小供货商。”

  合俊玩具厂是香港上市公司合俊集团的主力工厂,全球最大玩具商美泰公司也是它的客户,在行业内颇具影响。据知情者透露,不单东莞的工厂倒闭了,合俊厂在其他地方的工厂也同时倒闭了。

  昨日本报记者拨打合俊集团主席胡锦斌等4位高层的内地手机,要么是关机,要么便是启用了“来电提醒”业务,多方联系后无果。

  这是东莞玩具业的又一个黑色日子。“东莞玩具业正在下霜。”一位玩具业资深人士感叹道,大批玩具企业已经在霜下蔫了。玩具行业是东莞八大支柱产业之一,广东是世界最主要的玩具生产基地,东莞的产量则占了广东一半以上。

  香港合俊控股集团成立于1996年,在玩具业颇具知名度,香港联交所上市企业。鼎盛时期在广东东莞和清远共设有4间生产工厂,厂房生产面积达10万平方米,集团雇员1万人左右。其主力生产基地就是设在东莞樟木头镇的两家工厂。樟木头的两家工厂产品70%以上销往美国,包括为全球最大的玩具商美泰公司提供OEM(贴牌加工)业务。

  在香港联交所,合俊集团是少数几家纯劳动密集型制造企业之一。主要生产高档电子玩具、毛绒公仔玩具、体育运动器材、玩具糖果包装等产品,远销欧洲、北美洲、日本等世界其它地区。据称,其年销售额超过7亿港元。
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