Nike faces new worker abuse claims

[marmar]

AP Exclusive: Nike faces new worker abuse claims
Indonesia workers for Nike's Converse brand say bosses slap them, call them dogs


SUKABUMI, Indonesia (AP) -- Workers making Converse sneakers in Indonesia say supervisors throw shoes at them, slap them in the face and call them dogs and pigs. Nike, the brand's owner, 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 workers interviewed by The Associated Press and a document released by Nike show that the footwear and athletic apparel giant has far to go to meet the standards it set for itself a decade ago to end its reliance on sweatshop labor.

That does not appear to explain abuses that workers allege at the Pou Chen Group factory in Sukabumi, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Jakarta -- it didn't start making Converse products until four years after Nike bought Converse. One worker there 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." .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/AP-Exclusive-Nike-faces-new-apf-3753516051.html?x=0

[Brickbat]

1. Gosh, who woulda thunk it.

[Urban Prairie]

2. Swoosh...smack!!

Maybe Nike really needs to update their logo to a disembodied hand slapping an Asian face.