Over the past three or so decades there has been talk about Nike’s sweatshops. Even though it seems ludicrous for there to be such a thing, Nike unlike many other companies is actually doing something about it but it was not always this way. Nike built companies in areas of the world desperately needing work and places that have laws against unions. This helped them from getting looked at too closely. A couple of their shop did in fact get shut down, only for them to open a few more elsewhere.
From the very beginning Nike said they were selling shoes not manufacturing them and that they have no control over the means by which they are made. However, when the public did not accept that then Nike changed its strategy. The company created shops and monitored what happened in them- once they found out that there was in fact labor misuse they shut it down.
Nike was defensive towards these claims saying they are doing more good than harm. However, EFJ has reported otherwise saying “Now that Nike has admitted that its factories are places where physical and sexual abuse, extraordinarily low wages, restrictions of bathroom use and other human rights abuses happen on a regular basis,” (EFJ par., 15). The places where these shops are built are often very, very poor countries where any job is better than the no work that most of them have. There are lines of people just wanting to work at these shops just so they would have any sort of income. In addition to that, no one is forcing them to take the job or continue to stay there- it is even an opportunity because they would otherwise not have any money. Although it may seem harsh and yes Nike should pay them minimum wage, it could be worse- at least they are making some money.The Nike brand has been getting into trouble so often that many people have started to take notice and take a stand. The Educating for Justice website focuses solely on the wrongs of companies or any type of wronging regarding business, which is stated on their homepage as their mission statement (EFJ). When looking at the site there are countless attacks proving that Nike is slipping up but also that advocates for the cause are finally being heard. So whose fault is this? Nike’s for letting it happen or the public for not doing more to prevent it…
"EFJ Campaigns: Stop Nike Sweatshops." Www.educatingforjustice.org | EDUCATE - ORGANIZE - ACT. Web. 12 Apr. 2011. <http://www.educatingforjustice.org/stopnikesweatshops.htm>.
Dear Sara,
ReplyDeleteYes it is nice that these people with very little other opportunities are getting jobs through the Nike corporation but I think they deserve much more. It is not the peoples fault that their government does very little to protect them in any way. But I think Nike has a lot more control over what is going on in these shops than they let on.
"From the very beginning Nike said they were selling shoes not manufacturing them and that they have no control over the means by which they are made." I mean really? Does anyone actually believe that? They did and do have control over them. That is why when they were receiving to much negative publicity they shut them down.
"The places where these shops are built are often very, very poor countries where any job is better than the no work that most of them have." These is true but does it give large corporations the right to take advantage of there misfortune? I am glad that they have jobs thanks to Nike but Nike has the money to pay those employees dollars rather than cents.
Thanks for enlightening more people on the how large companies really work when they don't have to listen to a strong government. I'll be sure to come back and read more.
Kudu
Dear Sara,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog over Nike sweatshops. I actually chose this exact topic to do my Major Project #2 over, so I can understand what you are talking about.
"From the very beginning Nike said they were selling shoes not manufacturing them and that they have no control over the means by which they are made."--It is almost like Kanye said, "How could ya be so heartless?" This statement really brings into perspective what Nike is about.
"That is why when they were receiving to much negative publicity they shut them down."--Agreed. They were forced too. If no one would have ever criticized them for running these sweatshops, things would be the exact same today, maybe even worse.
I thank you for this post. I really enjoyed it! Keep posting, and I will keep coming.
Dequeen
Dear The Corporation,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog post interesting to read. I was not aware of how serious these sweatshops could be until reading this post. It is pretty disturbing that this kind of treatment actually takes place. It is especially crazy that Nike is a corporation that operates sweatshops in order to produce products. I was interested in your statement that said, "The places where these shops are built are often very, very poor countries where any job is better than the no work that most of them have". It is so sad to think that some people in foreign countries are so desperate for money that they will work in awful conditions just to receive some form of pay. That is the reality of many people's life and I so badly wish it wasn't. The people that work in these sweatshops give up their health and dignity in order to stay alive and that should never happen. I also liked when you said, "So whose fault is this? Nike’s for letting it happen or the public for not doing more to prevent it…". This is a good question. While thinking about this I feel like it could be both parties fault. Nike should not be able to run sweatshops with such bad conditions but the public should be aware of the issue. If enough people are aware of the problem it could be solved. If no one speaks up about sweatshops they will more than likely remain in business. Thanks for writing! It definitely made me think. keep writing about topics similar to this with questions involved and I will come back to visit.
Britney Crawley