Nike contractor found running sweatshop in Kepong, Malaysia
Australia’s Channel 7 investigative journalist Mike Duffy has uncovered a Nike contractor putting workers in sweatshop conditions in Kepong, Malaysia.
Kepong is about an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.
The journalists at Malay Mail have come down hard on the remarks made by the Malaysia Human Resource Director.
Wrote Frankie d’Cruz and Francis C. Nantha of the Malay Mail,
OUR Human Resources Minister apparently has not seen the Australian Channel 7 television report on “forced labour and appalling working conditions” at a Nike contract factory in Kuala Lumpur.
Otherwise, Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam would not have lashed out at Nike, the athletics apparel giant, for interfering in the internal affairs of Malaysia.
He had also said it was not appropriate for Nike to impose its own standards on a local supplier here.
Nike sweated out a reply saying “it is unsuitable and not up to Nike’s standard..”
I think the solution to sweatshop shoes is to make a market for fair trade products: http://tinyurl.com/58eaky
We need to let the major shoe companies know that there is a demand for shoes not made in the horrid conditions like the ones in Malaysia, etc. Companies like Nike, Adidas, et al. will only listen to economic incentive and the best way to do this is to make a commitment to buy the first easily-available fair trade shoe made by any company.
Take a look. This is a really innovative way to show shoe companies that people are willing to buy clothes with a conscience.
@Vadim, what motivates these big brands are cost. Lower cost bigger market margins.
The contractors are also driven by the same motivation.
Fair trade shoes might increase the contractors’ cost and the brands will go just go to another country where the cost is lower.