A thrill that begins to resemble a renaissanceHome does not hesitate to revisit its heritageAnd for now society is still subscribed to the lean regimeAvishai Cohen and Goran Bregovic Sunday eveningFind our folder on the Clearstream trial onBut I want to be able to listen as I wantAdidas and Puma should follow in his footstepsThe vaccine should be available midOctoberThe ISP should however stop supply of Fund of funds3 for the whole of the DJ Stoxx 600 companiesBrands of sporting have multiplied in recent weeks campaigns around the World Cup. But, at the other end of the world, the material situation of men and women who produce these articles has it improved The association for the defence of the Oxfam human rights issued a report for the least bittersweet. Entitled "out of game!" "the right of workers in the industry of sport in Asia", the text of more than 100 pages passes review the policies of 12 brands including Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Fila, Mizuno, Asics, Lotto... Objective: Verify that the providers of these marks respect trade union rights.
All really began in 1996, with the denunciation of the manufacture of the footballs by children in the area of Sialkot in Pakistan. The term "sweat mills" was then used. Today, the report recognizes that the situation on the ground tends to improve, but he stresses that the investigated companies are unable to really ensure the protection of the employees of their subcontractors. Do the parallel between the marketing of these groups and the wages offered by Mills gives whirling disease.
Nike pays EUR 13 million per year to the national team of the Brazil, and Adidas offers 1.5 million per year to Zinedine Zidane when an Asian worker who sews the shoes in a factory in Bandung in Java receives 73 euros per month! With such levels of wages, cannot be added to everyday things as simple as mosquito products (39 cents) liquor (70 centimes of euros per month) without even thinking about having a portable (4 euros), finance his (16 cents) garbage collection or consider to go for a trip out of town! Companies defend themselves by asking their suppliers to meet local minimum wages. NGOs counter that it must create new criteria and set the minimum necessary to ensure a decent life for families. And this especially since the footwear are sold at great price in Europe and the United States.
Codes of conduct
Signs of progress, however, since April 2005, Nike publishes the exact list of plants of suppliers on its website. Puma did the same in committing to greater transparency. Companies have adopted codes of conduct, such as Adidas comes to Reebok and established key performance indicators to measure the way its suppliers comply with its requests.
In General, NGOs require that employees may be informed of their rights, that the marks give priority to unionized factories in their chain of subcontracting, avoid the use of short-term employment contracts. Finally, they ask that it removes barriers to the Trade Union participation of women, who represent 80 of the employees in this sector.
The reaction of the companies involved is sometimes surprising. Target of a campaign concerning serious violations of trade union rights and sexual harassment, in one of its Thai suppliers (Tae Hwa) which employed more than 3,000 employees, Fila has left the factory closed in February 2005... without that laid-off employees are compensated. In Indonesia, in the PT Panarub, Adidas factory is accused to remain passive after the dismissal of 33 trade unionists in one of its main producers, which employs 10,000 people. In a long statement issued on 24 may, the company recognizes that the relationship between trade unions and the management of its supplier are not good for years, but says have asked that stand for elections in the company and that the trade unionists dismissed remain paid until their complaints to justice lead. In its report, Oxfam note a slight better: this plant employees interviewed by his care recognize finally obtained the right to sit on a Chair when they are pregnant, while doctors were employed in the production unit clinic!
