Nike

PlayFair 08 Industry Report

Did you know that a worker at a Chinese factory producing for one of Nike’s key suppliers would have to work 4,500 years at their current wage to earn as much as Nike CEO Mark Parker did in 2006?

By JEFF BALLINGER

The current strike wave in Vietnam can be traced to a seemingly benign statement by Adidas officials last year, attempting to explain a sharp increase in profitability. Since the German shoe giant's acquisition of the Reebok brand, it gained new leverage over supplier factories. This predatory relationship with the mainly Taiwanese and S. Korean sports shoe manufacturers collided with a rising rate of inflation, bringing the near-subsistence wage to a level workers would not tolerate.

Rising prices mean that factory workers' pay doesn't go far
Thousands of workers have gone on strike at a Vietnamese plant that makes shoes for Nike, demanding higher pay.
Workers, who produce about 10% of the 75 million pairs of shoes made for Nike in Vietnam annually, want more pay, bonuses and cost of living allowances.

Indonesian workers damand Nike protect jobs

The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation believes pressure on Nike has paid off...

Action request to help workers at Nike/adidas plant

Nike has told us it cares deeply about workers' rights...

“Nike... your shoes are full of blood and tears”:

Nike and sweatshop exploitation - a guide for activists

Nike: built on workers’ misery

Nike has a nice image in the British high street. But the giant company looks a bit different to those who slave in factories making Nike clothes and trainers. The thing to remember about Nike – when you watch the skilfully made, trendy adverts, or see top Nike-sponsored athletes perform, or take part in Nike-backed charity-PR events – is that Nike is built on workers’ misery.