FlintTalk.com Forum Index > Political Talk Topic: Workers Strike at Nike Contract Factory

Author    Post   Ryan Eashoo F L I N T O I D Workers Strike at Nike Contract Factory By VU TIEN HONG,AP Posted: 2008-04-01 04:04:12 HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - More than 20,000 Vietnamese workers have walked off the job at a Taiwanese-owned plant that makes shoes for Nike Inc., demanding higher pay to keep pace with skyrocketing prices, officials said Tuesday. The workers at Ching Luh plant, in southern Long An province, went on strike Monday. They want a 20 percent bump to their $59 average monthly salaries along with better lunches at the company cafeteria, said Nguyen Van Thua, an official with the province's trade union. The plant has been making sneakers since 2002 and employs about 21,000 workers, most of them young rural women. The company is paying the workers 14 percent more than minimum wage, but soaring inflation is eroding their earnings, Thua said. "The company has followed the Vietnamese laws in paying their workers, but given the fact that consumer prices are soaring day by day, the workers have had troubles with their daily expenses," Thua said. Ching Luh plant is one of 10 factories that contract with Nike to produce sneakers in Vietnam. Nike's contractors in Vietnam make about 75 million pairs of shoes each year, and the Ching Luh plant accounts for about 12 percent, said Nike spokesman Chris Helzer. "We recognize the impact that rising inflation has had on the people of Vietnam, and hope the situation will be resolved quickly and amicably," he said. Consumer prices in Vietnam are 19 percent higher than they were a year ago, according to government figures. Hanoi responded in January by increasing the minimum wage foreign-owned companies are required to pay by roughly 13 percent. As inflation has picked up in recent years, strikes have become more common, with workers demanding higher pay and better working conditions. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. 04/01/08 04:02 EDT _________________ Flint Michigan Resident, Tax Payer, Flint Nutt - Local REALTOR - Activist. www.FlintTown.com Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:10 am  Public D F L I N T O I D Right on. And just in time for the Olympics. http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/boycotts/boycotts_list.htm Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:01 am  Ryan Eashoo F L I N T O I D They need to unionize! _________________ Flint Michigan Resident, Tax Payer, Flint Nutt - Local REALTOR - Activist. www.FlintTown.com Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:52 am  squash F L I N T O I D It's really not that simple. But in the mean time you can stop purchasing Nike products and encourage all like minded individuals to do the same. Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:11 pm  Demeralda F L I N T O I D I wish boycotts were more effective. Hell, you can't even get union members to boycott Wal-Mart. Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:42 pm  Public D F L I N T O I D quote: Demeralda schreef: I wish boycotts were more effective. Hell, you can't even get union members to boycott Wal-Mart. Too true. But sometimes it's a matter of not knowing that alternatives still exist: http://www.shopunionmade.org/ http://www.unionlabel.org/ http://nosweatapparel.com/ Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:40 pm  Demeralda F L I N T O I D I'm a big fan of American made clothing. I can personally vouch for the fabulous quality of American Apparel and Michael Stars (beware, this one is sexy but expensive!!). I hope your links have some American made jeans. That's the hardest thing. Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:33 pm  andi03 F L I N T O I D Maybe they were just following the brand motto...."Just Do It"......<groan> _________________ Build a bridge and get over it! Wed Apr 02, 2008 11:10 am    Display posts from previous:   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First

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