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A labour rights group has alleged that crucifixes sold in religious gift shops in the United States are produced under "horrific" conditions in a Chinese factory with more than 15-hour work days and inadequate food.
"It's a throwback to the worst of the garment sweatshops 10, 20 years
ago," said Charles Kernaghan, director of the National Labour Committee.
Mr Kernaghan held a news conference in front of St Patrick's Cathedral to call attention to conditions at a factory in Dongguan, a southern Chinese city near Hong Kong, where he said crosses sold at the historic church and elsewhere are made.
Spokespeople for St Patrick's and another New York landmark, the Episcopal Trinity Church at Wall St, said the churches had removed dozens of crucifixes from their shops while they investigate the claims.
"I don't think they have a clue where these crucifixes were made - in horrific work conditions," Mr Kernaghan said.
He said the factory's mostly young, female employees work from 8am to 11.30pm seven days a week and are paid US26 cents (35 cents) an hour with no sick days or holidays. Workers live in filthy dormitories and are fed a watery "slop".
Mr Kernaghan said factory workers took photos and smuggled out documents detailing practices there.
While none of the crucifixes sold in New York were identified as made in China, they bore serial numbers matching products made at the factory in question, Mr Kernaghan said.
Joe Zwilling, a spokesman for St Patrick's, said church officials had not heard about the issue before this week. Trinity spokeswoman Diane Reed said her church had been "under the impression that these were mass-produced in Italy".
St Patrick's and Trinity bought the crosses from the Singer Co, a religious goods company based in suburban Mount Vernon. Co-owner Gerald Singer said the religious objects were made in China and purchased through a Chinese manufacturer called Full Start.
"Whether they came out of a sweatshop, we do not know," Mr Singer said. "We asked Full Start to sign off that there are no sweatshop conditions involved, and no children and that they abide by Chinese law. This is a black eye for us."
A man at the Full Start factory in Dongguan said the allegations were "totally incorrect".
The working conditions at the factory were "fine", said the man, who refused to give his name.
The 200-plus employees worked from 8am to 5.30pm each day, with an hour and a half break for lunch, he said.
The employees were rarely asked to work overtime, but were compensated when they did, he said.
Factories in Dongguan have been accused in the past of labour abuses, including those making products for McDonald's, Disney, Mattel and the Beijing Olympics.
- AP
