Barbie manufacturer has been accused of treating its factory workers poorly after an undercover investigation.
The makers of a documentary who sent a reporter to work in a factory say they found workplace bullying, excessive overtime and impossible production targets. The exposé comes after demand surged due to the 2023 hit movie Barbie, starring Margot Robbie.
Dispatches show Barbie’s Dirty Secrets – to be shown on Friday night – says it also found employees were given no safety briefing and had to handle scalding hot plastic for Barbies without proper protective gear, resulting in burns and blisters. The reporter said: “I worked for three days in total and was physically near my limit yesterday.
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“I feel like this factory just doesn’t treat people like human beings. People are used as animals.” Real workers echoed those feelings. One said: “Every day I feel so much pressure, I cannot breathe. The manager said, in the factory, you must obey orders unconditionally.”
Another said they could not make the work quota – at its highest finishing 1,400 Moana 2 dolls per day – even if they vomited blood. Others said they were penniless as the pay for an 11-hour shift is £16.90.
Dispatches said employees were required to sign agreements to work 100 hours of overtime per month, nearly three times ’s legal limit. Mattel’s board recently awarded CEO Ynon Kreiz £11million in shares because, they said, his leadership had transformed the business.
The Dispatches report, fronted by Isobel Yeung, showed its findings to Thulsi Narayanasamy at US-based Worker Rights Consortium. Thulsi said: “This pink and joy and female empowerment is nothing but a facade for the exploitative conditions in which the women making the dolls are having to live.”
Mattel said it is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment and ensuring that all employees at the firm are treated fairly and respectfully. It added: “The company invests significant resources to support employees and ensure their wellbeing.”
Dispatches also looked at trademark legal action by Mattel, which has 200-plus brands including Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and Thomas & Friends. It found 268 cases since 2019, more than the other four biggest toy companies combined.
The firm said: “We stand firmly behind the protection of our trademarks and generally litigate only against those who deliberately and repeatedly infringe on our intellectual property.”
Barbie’s Dirty Secrets: Dispatches, Friday night, 8pm on C4.
Barbie’s Dirty Secrets: Dispatches airs Friday October 11 at 8pm on Channel 4
