domenica 15 aprile 2012

LAVORO E GLOBALIZZAZIONE 7. Nike workers 'kicked, slapped and verbally abused' at factories making Converse , DAILY MAIL, 13 luglio 2011

They're one of the world's top sports clothing brands, but for years Nike have been dogged by allegations of sweatshops and child labour.
Now workers making Nike's Converse shoes at a factory in Indonesia say they are being physically and mentally abused.



Workers at the Sukabumi plant, about 60 miles from Jakarta, say supervisors frequently throw shoes at them, slap them in the face, kick them and call them dogs and pigs
Nike admits that such abuse has occurred among the contractors that make its hip high-tops but says there was little it could do to stop it.


Dozens of interviews by The Associated Press, and a document released by Nike, show the company has a long way to go to meet the standards it set for itself a decade ago to end its reliance on sweatshop labour.


One worker at the Taiwanese-operated Pou Chen plant in Sukabumi said she was kicked by a supervisor last year after making a mistake while cutting rubber for soles.


'We're powerless,' said the woman, who like several others interviewed spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals.


'Our only choice is to stay and suffer, or speak out and be fired.'


The 10,000 mostly female workers at the Taiwanese-operated Pou Chen plant make around 50 cents an hour.
That's enough, for food and bunkhouse-type lodging, but little else.


Some workers interviewed by the AP in March and April described being hit or scratched in the arm – one man until he bled.


Others said they were fired after filing complaints.


'They throw shoes and other things at us,' said a 23-year-old woman in the embroidery division.


'They growl and slap us when they get angry
'It's part of our daily bread.'


Mira Agustina, 30, said she was fired in 2009 for taking sick leave, even though she produced a doctor's note.


'It was a horrible job,' she said. 'Our bosses pointed their feet at us, calling us names like dog, pig or monkey.'


All are major insults to Muslims. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation.


At the PT Amara Footwear factory located just outside Jakarta, where another Taiwanese contractor makes Converse shoes, a supervisor ordered six female workers to stand in the blazing sun after they failed to meet their target of completing 60 dozen pairs of shoes on time.
'They were crying and allowed to continue their job only after two hours under the sun," said Ujang Suhendi, 47, a worker at a warehouse in the factory.


The women's supervisor received a warning letter for the May incident after complaints from unionized workers.


Nike's own inquiries found workers at the two factories were subjected to 'serious and egregious' physical and verbal abuse, including the punishment of forcing workers to stand in the sun, said Hannah Jones, a Nike executive who oversees the company's efforts to improve working conditions.


She said: 'We do see other issues of that similar nature coming up across the supply chain but not on a frequent level.


'We see issues of working conditions on a less egregious nature across the board.'


Nike, which came under heavy criticism a decade ago for its use of sweatshops and child labour, has taken steps since then to improve conditions at its 1,000 overseas factories




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped-verbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-Indonesia.html#ixzz1s6gatHci


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped-verbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-Indonesia.html#ixzz1s6gXJT4q


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped-verbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-Indonesia.html#ixzz1s6gToYJY


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped-verbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-Indonesia.html#ixzz1s6gPXOmG


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014325/Nike-workers-kicked-slapped-verbally-abused-factories-making-Converse-line-Indonesia.html#ixzz1s6g7BKV4

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