MAINLAND factory workers are risking their lives in Dickensian sweatshops in what has become Hong Kong's neglected backyard - Shenzhen.
Unionists and legislators in the territory last night claimed workers at the mainland factories were forced to endure conditions which had not been seen in Hong Kong since the 1950s and 1960s.
Factory fires have killed more than 170 people in the low-cost manufacturing base in the Pearl River delta over the past 21/2 years.
After a massive blast at a dangerous goods depot in Shenzhen in August, a State Council investigation team reported the municipal government had failed to ensure the fire-prevention work of the Public Security Bureau was up to standard; water supply facilities were too poor to tackle the blaze; and fire-fighting equipment was inadequate.
But three months later, little has been done to remedy the situation. Fire-fighting equipment was still inadequate at Friday's fire at the Zhili toy factory.
Witnesses said rescue workers could not climb up to reach workers trapped on the upper floors because their ladders were not long enough. Residents in the area said the water ran out and firemen had to wait for more water jets to arrive.