The Real Toy Story: Chinese factory workers & the toys they make
Photos by Michael Wolf

In 2010 the average monthly salary, including overtime, for a migrant worker was CNY1,690 (UK£150 / US$240), insufficient to cover basic needs for workers and their families. In 2009 alone, approximately 1 million workers suffered industrial injuries whilst about 20,000 were victims of occupational disease.

From The Guardian: Big brands such as Disney, Lego and Marks & Spencer pay only a fraction of the shop price of products to the factories that make their products. In summer 2011 – as factories geared up to cope with demand for the Christmas period – investigators spent three weeks in the industrial cities of Shenzhen and Dongguan. In some cases, they found that employees:

■ worked up to 140 hours overtime a month;

■ were paid up to a month late;

■ claimed they were expected to work with dangerous tools and machines without training or safety measures;

■ had to work in silence and were fined up to £5 for going to the toilet without permission.

For more photos & to see how they were exhibited, click here.