SACOM's "Disney Project" has issued a new report on the state of workers' rights at the new Disneyland HK. SACOM says it hopes that Disney can stop the exploitative operations of its suppliers and urge them to accept the continuous monitoring of the students and the public.
Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) is a non-government organization (NGO) based in Hong Kong, China, founded in June 2005 by students, and later joined by other cultural and labor activists. SACOM's main goal is to monitor and campaign against corporate misbehavior that violates worker's rights, health, safety, welfare, and dignity in China.
Disneyland Hong Kong will open on September 12, 2005, and will draw many tourists from Hong Kong, mainland China, and Asia. The Hong Kong government projects that Disneyland HK will generate a profit of HK$148 billion in the coming 40 years. It expects that 30 thousand people will visit Disneyland HK everyday, and projects that each of them might spend an average of HK$680 there. This implies that Disneyland Hong Kong's source of profit is not confined to the sale of tickets amounting to around HK$200 to $300 per person.
Being based in Hong Kong, SACOM sees itself occupying a unique position and playing a specific role in the international efforts to push for corporate compliance by scrutinizing the CSR performance of Hong Kong companies in the production chain. SACOM demands Hong Kong companies (as suppliers and trading companies) together with their brand-name buyers (such as Disney and Walmart) in the global supply chains be held responsible for their social impacts in China. The organization says it will work with other NGOs to monitor factories in China established by investors from their regions.
