{"article":{"id":15600,"heading":"\"We are not Machines\", a new report expose Nike, Adidas sweashops","author":"Lee Siu Hin","created":"2002-03-18 08:38:43","modified":"2005-08-15 00:55:17","last_modified":"Mon, 15 Aug 2005 07:55:17","article":"

Although some improvements have been made in working conditions in sport shoe

factories producing for Nike and Adidas Salomon in Indonesia, the measures

taken fall well short of ensuring that workers are able to live with dignity:

WAGES: With full time wages as low as $US2 a day, workers live in extreme

poverty and those with children must either send them to distant villages to

be looked after by relatives or else go into debt to meet their basic needs.

FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION: Workers have reason to fear that active union

involvement could lead them to be dismissed, jailed or physically assaulted.

WORKING CONDITIONS: Workers report that although there has been some

reduction in the physical and psychological pressure under which they work,

they continue to be shouted at and humiliated and to work in dangerous

conditions.

The report is based on original interview and focus group research conducted

by the author in July 2001 and January 2002 with a total of thirty-five

workers from four factories producing for Nike and\/or Adidas in West Java.

Low Wages:

Workers live in extreme poverty. They earn full-time wages of approximately

$US56 a month and report that recent increases in legal minimum wages have

not kept pace with dramatic increases in the cost of food. They depend on the

extra income gained by working extensive overtime and have been hit hard by

the economic downturn in the United States which has pushed down demand and

reduced overtime in most factories investigated.

Approximately half of those workers with children are forced by their poverty

to send them to live with relatives in distant villages. Many can only afford

to see their children three or four times a year and find the separation

extremely painful. Those who live with their children commonly go into debt

to cover their family's basic needs.

Interference with Workers' Rights to Freedom of Association:

The arrest, imprisonment and extended trial of Ngadinah Binti Abu Mawardi

from the Panarub factory (Adidas) has raised workers' fear that union

activity could endanger their liberty. At the Nikomas Gemilang factory (Nike

and Adidas) threats of violence against outspoken workers and uncertainty

surrounding the attempted murder of Mr. Rakhmat Suryadi has generated anxiety

that union involvement could endanger workers' safety.

There has been a reduction in some forms of discrimination against members of

independent unions in several factories, but even in these factories workers

allege that factory owners have discriminated against active unionists when

firing workers.

During 2001 Nike refused a number of practical proposals put forward by human

rights groups which would have increased workers' freedom to engage in union

activity.

Dangerous and Humiliating Working Conditions:

There has been some reduction in the physical and psychological pressure

placed on workers, but this needs to be set against ongoing practices which

fail to respect their health and dignity.

Positives steps include:

- reforms which now enable workers to obtain sick leave.

- reforms which have significantly reduced the frequency of sexual

harassment.

Ongoing problems include:

-workers are still shouted at when they work too slowly, and in some

factories they are still humiliated by having their intelligence insulted or

being compared to animals such as dogs or monkeys.

- it is extremely difficult for workers to take legally mandated annual

leave.

- respiratory illnesses associated with inhaling vapours from toxic chemicals

are still occurring, albeit less often.

- at the Nikomas Gemilang factory workers are still losing fingers in

accidents involving cutting machines.

- at the same factory workers who want to claim legally mandated (unpaid)

menstrual leave must still go through the humiliating process of proving they

are menstruating by pulling down their pants in front of (female) factory

doctors

For the full report, please check:

http:\/\/www.caa.org.au\/campaigns\/nike\/reports\/machines\/index.html

Although Nike has \"welcome\" the report, but it's no more then a PR and media

cheap spin, and also not until years of protest, media exposure and negative

image and they finally \"admitted\" they are responsable for their sweatshop

conditions in Indonesia.

Please read the report, let's contineus to keep the pressures to Nikes and

all other multinational sweatshops operators across the World, tell them:

JUST STOP IT the exploitations of the workers, GIVE them livingable wages and

human dignity!





Lee Siu Hin

------------------------------------------------------------ActionLA

Action for World Liberation Everyday!

4167 S. Normandie Ave.,

Los Angeles, CA 91030

Web: www.ActionLA.org

Tel: (323)389-4593

e-mail: ActionLA@ActionLA.org

------------------------------------------------------------<\/p>\n","contact":"siuhin@aol.com","link":"www.ActionLA.org","address":"","phone":"","parent_id":0,"mime_type":"text\/plain","summary":"**For the full report, please check: \r\nhttp:\/\/www.caa.org.au\/campaigns\/nike\/reports\/machines\/index.html\r\n\r\n\"Despite some small steps forward, poverty and fear still dominate the lives \r\nof Nike and Adidas workers in Indonesia.\"\r\n\r\nThis is what an Australian Non-Govermental organization (NGO) \"Oxfam \r\nCommunity Aid Abroad\" describes the living and working conditions of Nika and Adidas sweatshops in Indonesia. amount teh findings include:","numcomment":0,"fileurl":"\/uploads\/2002\/03\/\\_we_are_n.txt","filesize":"4.9 kibibytes","article_url":"\/news\/2002\/03\/15600.php"},"attachments":[],"comments":[]}