Poor Working Conditions and Work Abuse at Nike

Nike, should we Boycott? Did you know that Nike workers have the worst working conditions? According to Portland Business Journal Most factors owned by nike are held in Vietnam, and not surprisingly they make the lowest wages possible. Even though Nike doesn't want to disclose its workers wages to they have estimated that 73. 94 dollars per month which is 2. 6 dollars per day which is less than the minimum wage. Unfortunately Nike is not the only corporation that does this other examples are Puma, Gap, Adidas and Under Armour.

According to Forbes many of these Corporations move their business to China because it’s cheaper labour there. Not only but The average retail price for a pair of Nike shoes is between $70 and $75, therefore it would go up to $170 or $175. The price of a pair of Air Jordans which sell for about $150 would go to $250. Meaning that the profit is great here but still these workers get paid less. But, you may ask yourself, "How does this affect me, when i can get my Nike shoes for 90 dollars?" Well, almost half of those workers are underage illegal workers. They have the worst working conditions. This can affect you because these kids could take a job you like or want. Many of these worker get abused while working at Nike and finally it uses sweatshops for its workers which to me categorized as inhuman Is it right that kids as young as six years old have to suffer so that you can save a hundred dollars on shoes? When you keep buying Nike product, then you keep fueling the demand for more making you a direct cause for these children suffering. But, if you stop buying Nike shoes, soccer balls, and athletic shirts, you will have a direct cause in lowering the demand for child labor.

The main argument for child labor is that the children working illegally need the money for their often very large family so they can have enough food, clothes, and shelter for their family. it may be true you get your Nike products much cheaper. But, if children didn't spend so much time illegally working in sweatshops, they would be able to get an education, and we all know that an educated society would much better a community however these children don't have a choice whether they work or not, but if you boycott Nike you are giving these children the chance to better themselves and get an education. You have to meet the quota before you can go home. She hit all 15 team leaders in turn from the first one to the fifteenth.

The physical pain didn't last long, but the pain I feel in my heart will never disappear. The statements above were made by Thuy and Lap, women workers at Nike plant in Vietnam. Even though NIke has a really good image in the U. S not the same could be said about other countries, Nike is a very different company in Vietnam and in other Asian manufacturing countries. Reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and salary below minimum wage are confirmed by CBS News, the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, AP, Reuters as well as other non-profit and non-governmental organizations. In 1998, Phil Knight promised to change Nike's labor practices in Asia. and true there were a few improvements, but much of Phil Knight's plan of actions were nothing but empty promises. These empty promises might not mean anything to us but they mean the world for the people who have to work through this. In 1999, Thuy & Lap were fired for talking to reporters. Thuy is now working in another factory in Dong Nai. Lap is still unemployed. And what's worse is Nike's factory wages are still the lowest among foreign-owned factories in Vietnam. As well as Nike factories continue to abuse its workers and violate their labor rights.

On July 29, students and activists around the world participated in a day of protest against Nike, organized by the (USAS). They were protesting because many of the factories used to produce Nike were very harmful and used many toxins that could be de. Though Nike has successfully improved its reputation and has become the top-selling activewear brand in the world, many of its ways are still a problem. “Nike uses a few eco-friendly materials including organic and recycled cotton and polyester, minimises off-cuts in parts of its manufacturing process and has a waste and water reduction strategy in place in most of its supply chain. ”By Lara Robertson even though it said it will reduce its carbon emissions by over 50% by 2025 that is not enough, Nike has not completely eliminated hazardous chemicals from its factories, which is a big problem for workers who are exposed to them and even those who wear the products, depending on the amount of the toxins. Many People say that we should not Boycott Nike because if we boycott them we lower there profit which will result in a lower payment for the workers. I agree with that half heartedly. It is true that if we boycott Nike there profit will decrease. According to The Guardian when Nike fianly owned up its mistake of using child labour in 1990 there Income decreased drastically therefore making the income of workers really bad and worse than before.

However that may be true Nike already violates its basic human labourer rights. On top of that Nike does not manufacture its own products. It only designs them. “About 550,000 workers are employed in 700 factories in 50 countries to make Nike products, the majority in Asia. This cheap labour enables Nike to spend a great deal on design and marketing, pay large executive salaries, maintain large profits,”Sharon Beder Doing this allows Nike to keep the shoes affordable for the common people. Even more the shoes that cost $16. 75 to manufacture are sold for around $100 in the US. In conclusion we should boycott Nike because it uses child labour, It abuses its workers and it uses harmful chemicals like i stated it uses people and pays them the lowest wage so they can make a bigger profit.

The main argument for child labor is that the children working illegally need the money for their very large families so they can have enough food, clothes, and shelter. it may be true you get your Nike products much cheaper. But, if children didn't spend so much time illegally working in sweatshops, they would be able to get an education, and if you boycott Nike you are giving these children the chance to better themselves and get an education. The argument for abuse is that Nike is a very different company in Vietnam and in other Asian manufacturing countries. Reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and salary below minimum wage are confirmed, Nike uses a lot of toxins in their products people who protesting was because many of the factories used to produce Nike were very harmful and used many toxins. even though people might say that you shouldn't boycott nike because it would lower its profit Nike already violetas basic Louboro rights, so if we attack the issue we would make the situation batter not only for the workers but also for our conscious.