Working Conditions

Continued campaiging at Gold Peak Batteries

The article below was taken from the Hong Kong based newspaper The Standard after a demonstration in Hong Kong against the continued dismissal of efforts by workers to have their claims for compensation for cadmium poisoning taken seriously by the company Gold Peak. Gold Peak has consistently ignored calls from workers, local labour groups and unions as well as the ICFTU to respond to the workers legitimate demands.

Firm blamed for cadmium poisoning

Chester Yung

Hong Kong Standard

Thursday, September 14, 2006

A group of about 30 demonstrators, including two legislators, have stormed a shareholders' meeting in Central to draw attention to the lack of protection offered to workers at a battery factory, where at least 12 employees were confirmed to be suffering from cadmium poisoning.

They also called on the chairman and chief executive of Gold Peak Industrial Holdings, Victor Lo Chung- wing, to resign.
The action Wednesday came as shareholders of the Gold Peak Group were having a meeting at the Conrad hotel. The 30 demonstrators, which included unionist Lee Cheuk-yan and "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung, marched to the hotel and chanted slogans accusing the group of turning a blind eye to the health of workers, about 1,400 of whom are said to be in danger of cadmium poisoning.

"The Gold Peak shareholders only care about how many shares they receive, but forget that the profit from these shares come from the blood, sweat and tears of workers," said Staphany Wong Ting-yuk, campaign coordinator of the Hong Kong liaison office of the international trade union movement.

Wong said 12 workers were confirmed to be suffering from poisoning and about 1,400 were believed to have "excess cadmium levels" due to their prolonged exposure to the chemical at the GP plants.

GP Batteries began producing nickel cadmium batteries in China in the 1990s. It is 49 percent owned by the Singapore-listed GP Industries, which is an 87 percent subsidiary of Gold Peak Industries (Holdings).

In 2004 the company found through health checks that some workers at two Huizhou plants in southern China and one Shenzhen plant were exposed to excess cadmium levels.

Acute exposure to cadmium fumes may cause flu-like symptoms including chills, fever and muscle ache. More severe exposure can cause tracheo- bronchitis, pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. Inhaling cadmium-laden dust quickly leads to respiratory tract and kidney problems which can be fatal.

"I have worked at the GP factory since I was a little girl. It's almost 10 years now and my health is deteriorating," 32-year-old Huizhou worker Lu Hai-fong told The Standard, adding that she had to work about 12 hours daily for a salary of 27.40 yuan (HK$26.82) a day.

The protesters called on Lo to step down and for the company to pay affected workers adequate compensation.
In response, Gold Peak said in a statement that some accusations against the company were unfounded.
"Some former worker have already received compensation packages of up to 250,000 yuan which is above the legal requirement," the company statement said.

IHLO September 2006