Olympic mascot maker rejects sweatshop claims
<p><span word="Representatives">Representatives</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="manufacturer">manufacturer</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Olympic">Olympic</span> <span word="mascot">mascot</span> <span word="dolls">dolls</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="Tuesday">Tuesday</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="reports">reports</span> <span word="claiming">claiming</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="products">products</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="made">made</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="sweatshops">sweatshops</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="been">been</span> <span word="based">based</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="untrue">untrue</span> <span word="information">information</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="factory">factory</span> <span word="is">is</span> <span word="open">open</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="international">international</span> <span word="organizations">organizations</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="media">media</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="inspections">inspections</span>.</p><p><span word="Gu">Gu</span> <span word="Feng">Feng</span>, <span word="chairman">chairman</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="board">board</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Yancheng">Yancheng</span> <span word="Rainbow">Rainbow</span> <span word="Arts">Arts</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="Crafts">Crafts</span> <span word="Co">Co</span>, <span word="located">located</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="East">East</span> <span word="China">China</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="Jiangsu">Jiangsu</span> <span word="province">province</span>, <span word="made">made</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="comment">comment</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="news">news</span> <span word="conference">conference</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="response">response</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="previous">previous</span> <span word="reports">reports</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="British">British</span> <span word="newspaper">newspaper</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Sun">Sun</span>.</p><p><span word="On">On</span> <span word="Jan">Jan</span> 19 <span word="and">and</span> 23, <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Sun">Sun</span> <span word="published">published</span> <span word="stories">stories</span> <span word="calling">calling</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="factory">factory</span> <span word="a">a</span> "<span word="sweatshop">sweatshop</span>". <span word="The">The</span> <span word="reports">reports</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="workers">workers</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="factory">factory</span> <span word="need">need</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="work">work</span> 358 <span word="hours">hours</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="month">month</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="make">make</span> <span word="only">only</span> 93 <span word="pounds">pounds</span>, <span word="roughly">roughly</span> 930 <span word="yuan">yuan</span> ($147). "<span word="The">The</span> <span word="Chinese">Chinese</span> <span word="workers">workers</span> <span word="quoted">quoted</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Sun">Sun</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="factory">factory</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="employees">employees</span> <span word="did">did</span> <span word="not">not</span> <span word="even">even</span> <span word="exist">exist</span>," <span word="Gu">Gu</span> <span word="said">said</span>.</p><p><span word="He">He</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="Zhu">Zhu</span> <span word="Shengrong">Shengrong</span>, <span word="who">who</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="interviewed">interviewed</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="US">US</span>-<span word="based">based</span> <span word="Voice">Voice</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="America">America</span> (<span word="VOA">VOA</span>) <span word="earlier">earlier</span>, <span word="fabricated">fabricated</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="story">story</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="tarnish">tarnish</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="factory">factory</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="reputation">reputation</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="retribution">retribution</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="his">his</span> <span word="dismissal">dismissal</span>.</p><p><span word="In">In</span> <span word="its">its</span> <span word="report">report</span>, <span word="VOA">VOA</span> <span word="quoted">quoted</span> <span word="Zhu">Zhu</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="saying">saying</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="he">he</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="forced">forced</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="about">about</span> 14 <span word="hours">hours</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="daywithout">daywithout</span> <span word="overtime">overtime</span> <span word="pay">pay</span>.</p><p>"<span word="Zhu">Zhu</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="fired">fired</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="our">our</span> <span word="factory">factory</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="first">first</span> <span word="half">half</span> <span word="of">of</span> 2008 <span word="due">due</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="repeated">repeated</span> <span word="inappropriate">inappropriate</span> <span word="contact">contact</span> <span word="with">with</span> <span word="some">some</span> <span word="female">female</span> <span word="colleagues">colleagues</span>," <span word="Gu">Gu</span> <span word="said">said</span>.</p><p><span word="Zhu">Zhu</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="demanded">demanded</span> <span word="compensation">compensation</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="industrial">industrial</span> <span word="injury">injury</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="rejected">rejected</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="local">local</span> <span word="courts">courts</span>.</p><p><span word="Gu">Gu</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="factory">factory</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="passed">passed</span> <span word="inspections">inspections</span> <span word="from">from</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="International">International</span> <span word="Council">Council</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="Toy">Toy</span> <span word="Industries">Industries</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Societe">Societe</span> <span word="Generale">Generale</span> <span word="de">de</span> <span word="Surveillance">Surveillance</span> <span word="SA">SA</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Switzerland">Switzerland</span>-<span word="based">based</span> <span word="multinational">multinational</span> <span word="company">company</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="provides">provides</span> <span word="inspection">inspection</span> <span word="services">services</span>.</p>
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