We are not machines: Nike and Adidas workers in Indonesia

Use of Indonesian soldiers to provide "security" in the PT Nikomas Gemilang factory

In Indonesia there is a long history of soldiers being employed by factory owners during periods of industrial unrest to keep workers on the job and prevent them for striking or demonstrating for better pay or conditions.

In September 1999 a US student delegation observed Indonesian soldiers stationed at the PT Nikomas Gemilang factory at a time when wage negotiations were being conducted. When this was drawn to Nike's attention, company representative Dusty Kidd responded that Nike had "specifically instructed factories not to allow military personnel to be stationed on factory premises". The factory then replaced the soldiers with non-military security. Subsequently, during peaceful strike action by workers at PT Nikomas on 18 December 1999, police from Brimob (an armed police brigade) equipped with guns were called into the factory and together with factory security guards and hired civilians they threatened and provoked workers (Bissell et. al. 2000).

Workers interviewed for this report in July 2001 reported that soldiers were again being employed by the factory as security guards and had been involved in cruel and unprovoked acts of violence against workers. They asked that specific instances not be described in this report in case the workers involved were punished for speaking to me. Workers who participated in the focus group discussion in January 2002 said that complaints about this by the SPTSK union at the factory had lead factory management to stop employing soldiers for a few months. By January 2002 they had started employing them again, but stationed in front of the factory rather than inside it. Although as yet there have been no further incidents of violence against workers by these soldiers, their presence at the factory increases workers' fear that union involvement or participation in industrial action could put their safety at risk.

At the huge Nikomas factory, one security guard of about ten around the entrance attempts to shield the entrance from the photographer. Media attention on this factory has convinced the owners of the factory to remove all Nike logos from the signs outside. Before, Nike logos were a favorite background for the wire service photographs. This factory employs more than 24,000 workers.

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