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14 Nov 2000
Action in Bangkok by former Nike employees
Dear friends,
Today, november 14, in Bangkok, Thailand, former Nike workers
made an action and handed an appeal to Tiger Woods (a golf champion
sponsored by Nike) to pressure Nike to improve wages and working
conditions.
Please find below the press release and the text of the letter
presented to Woods.
November 14th, 2000 Shangri La Hotel 3:00 p.m.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Junya Yimprasert, Thai Labour Campaign (66) 1-617-5491
Nike workers appeal to Tiger Woods
Former Nike Employees call on Woods to pressure Nike to Improve
Wages, Working Conditions.
Workers, labour rights activists and students will stage an appeal
to Tiger Woods to push Nike to improve factory conditions on Tuesday
(3:00 p.m.)at the Shangri La hotel in Bangkok. The group will call
on the golf champion, who has a US $100 million contract with Nike,
to press Nike to improve working conditions in Thai factories. Woods
will be at the Shangri La to receive an honorary doctorate of philosophy
in sports science. Workers from Thai Iryo Garment Workers Union,
Par Garment Workers Union and representatives from the Labour Coordinating
Center, Thai Labour Campaign, Center for Labour Information Service
and Training, All State Enterprise Worker Federation, State Railway
Workers Union and members of Thai Student Federation joined together
in the appeal.
"We are calling on Tiger Woods to address the plight of Thai
workers because he is a Nike spokesperson; this has nothing to do
with the fact that he is part Thai," said Junya Yimprasert,
coordinator of the Thai Labour Campaign.
"Nike must take responsibility for the welfare of workers
producing their products no matter whether it is a factory or subcontractor
and no matter the nationality of the employee," said Savit
Kaewvarn, vice secretary general of the All State Enterprise Worker
Federation.
It is estimated that there are over 70,000 workers producing shoes
and sportswear for Nike in Thailand. Most of these workers receive
only minimum wages with no welfare benefits. They work 10-12 hour
days in often hazardous conditions.
One Nike employee who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of being
fired, described often working until 2am to meet production quotas.
Instead of receiving legal overtime pay, workers at her factory,
in Lop Buri, were paid by piecework. "I have to leave my daughter
at my parents' house because children are not allowed in the dormitories.
I only see her every two weeks because I cannot afford to take time
off to travel," she said. In addition, thousands of Thai migrant
workers are producing Nike products under abysmal conditions in
Taiwan. Workers often have to work for years just to pay off their
travelling and installment costs.
In contrast, through his five year Nike contract, Tiger woods earns
US$55,000 a day. A Thai worker producing Nike clothing would have
to work for 14,000 days or 38 years to receive this same amount.
On the contrary, Nike spends the equivalent of 14,000 workers daily
salaries to pay Tiger Woods for just one day. A worker would have
to work for 26.5 million days or 72,000 years to receive what Tiger
Woods gets during his five year contract with Nike.
Recently, factories producing for Nike in Thailand have been shifting
production to subcontractors and non-union facilities and to the
provinces where wages and benefits are even lower. For example,
unionized workers formerly producing for Nike at the Thai Iryo Garment
factory in Rangsit were laid off while Nike production shifted to
the Garment Tech factory in Bangkok and VT Garment in Sathupradit.
Many workers have been laid off from the unionized Lian Thai and
Phar Garment factories just to wind up producing the same products
for subcontractors and receiving lower wages without legal protection.
The workers presented an appeal to Tiger woods to ask Nike that
all employees receive the equivalent of a living wage in the country
in which they are producing. This living wage should enable a worker
and two dependents to be able to live in decent conditions. The
appeal called for Nike to respect worker rights to unionize and
collectively bargain and to provide protection to labour leaders.
In addition Nike must take responsibility for working conditions
and ensure rights and decent wages in subcontracting facilities
and piecework operations which are not protected by Thai law. Nike
must ensure that its own safety standards are actually implemented
in the factories.
"University students love to wear Nike. But we want them to
understand that expensive Nike products are being produced by workers
with no quality of life. Nike derives huge profits and spends millions
on advertising but pays its workers next to nothing," said
Sarayuth Jailak, secretary general of the Student Federation of
Thailand.
This action is result of the co-operation between Thai Labour Campaign
and Press for Change (J Ballinger jeffreyd@mindspring.com)
with Ricken Patel at PatelRi@ksg.harvard.edu
tel: 1 617 496 6423
4 November
Tiger Woods, Shangri La Hotel Bangkok
Dear Tiger Woods,
We are grateful for the chance to present you with information
about the situation of Nike workers in Thailand. First, we would
like to be clear that we have the utmost respect for your skill
and perseverance as an athlete. Second, we wish to express that
Thai workers need the jobs that Nike provides and are willing to
work hard. However, no one should have to experience the deplorable
working conditions and wages that Nike employees face.
It is estimated that there are 70,000 workers producing Nike products
in Thailand. Additionally, thousands of Thais are employed as migrant
laborers at factories producing for Nike in Taiwan. It is on behalf
of these tens of thousands of workers that we appeal to you to use
your influence as a respected athlete and as a benefactor of Nike’s
success to push for better working conditions.
Mr. Woods, your current contract with Nike nets you $100 million
US over a five year period. In contrast an average Nike worker in
Bangkok earns the Thai minimum wage of 162 baht per day - $4 US
and workers in the provinces earn 130 baht per day - $3 US. This
means that a Thai Nike worker must work for 26.5 million days or
72,000 years to receive what you will earn during this contract.
A Thai garment worker must work for 14,000 years or 38 years to
earn your daily salary of US$55,000. To look at this in reverse,
Nike spends the equivalent of 14,000 workers’ salaries to pay
you for one day. Even though Nike workers are earning the daily
minimum wage, most of them end up working far more than an eight
hour day. Many of them routinely work until 10 pm and sometimes
until 2 am to earn overtime pay which they need to make ends meet.
Many workers are not paid hourly, but by piece, causing them to
stay long hours to finish quotas.
Aside from not earning enough, Nike workers in Thailand face abysmal
working conditions. Workers often are not issued proper safety equipment
and suffer job injuries. Thai migrant workers at Nike factories
in Taiwan are only permitted to use the bathroom only two times
a day, leading workers to suffer kidney infections and other health
problems. When workers organize and try to improve these conditions
they are harassed or fired. Or worse, the factory closes and shifts
to non-union production where wages and benefits are even worse.
For instance, in September the Thai Iryo Garment factory, which
produced for Nike, shut down. Nike shifted production to VT Garment
in Sathupradit and Garment Tech factory in Bangkok, neither, of
which has union.
Mr. Woods, we ask that you use your influence with Nike to push
for the following extremely reasonable requests: · Nike has
to set the same standard for their workers' living and provide labour
protection to every worker throughout the world. · Nike has
to pay living wage that enables a worker and 2 dependents to be
able to live like a human being. Nike has to respect workers union
rights and provide protection to labour leaders and respect the
collective bargaining rights. · Nike has to stop using sub-contracting
and sweatshops that are not protected by law. · Nike has
to comply with Occupational Health and Safety working environment.
Truly yours,
Endorsed by:
- Thai Iryo Garment Workers Union
- Par Garment Workers Union
- the Textile Garment and Leather Federation of Thailand
- the Paper and Printing Federation of Thailand
- All State Enterprises Workers Federation
- State Railway Workers Union
- Labour Coordinating Center
- Thai Labour Campaign
- Center for Labour Information Service and Training, and
- Student Federation of Thailand
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