Mexico: Nike workers strike against company abuses
REVO, London

All 800 workers went on strike on January 9th in a factory producing Nike goods. They were forced to act on a whole series of abuses.

Some went directly against the code of conduct Nike has adopted under pressure from campaigners, such as forced overtime and failure to give benefits like maternity leave (most of the workers are women).

Some were directly against Mexican law, such as failure to pay Christmas bonuses and forcing minors to do overtime.

Others were against Convention 87 of the International Labour Organisation guaranteeing the right of workers to the freedom to organise their own unions. The rest were just plain exploitative, like wages paying $30 a for a 45 hour week, serving rotten food in the canteen and verbal abuse.

Most importantly, the factory management had signed up everyone to a
company-friendly union, without many even knowing. Now one of the main goals of the workers is to be allowed to form their own independent organisation and have it recognised by the company.

When 20 workers were sacked for complaining about the food, wage, and xmas bonuses, all 800 went out and occupied the factory, gaurding the gates with the support of the local village communities and the unions in the nearby Volkswagon factory.

Then 300 police came to kick them out, led by the head of the stooge union. Despite surrendering before the police even got to the gates, the picket of 300 minors and women, some of them pregnant, were attacked and 15 hospitalised. Now the workers are also striking for the reinstatement of the 20 sacked workers.

Now Nike’s code of conduct “compliance” officer is down at the factory, but it is unclear if they will talk to the workers and their real representatives, rather than the stooge union and the management. You can do something about it:

Action you can take:
• send messages of support to the workers at librado@gofairtrade.net
• fax or email your protest to Nike and Kukdong, and demand they recognise the independent workers union and deal directly with it:
Phil Knight, chairman and CEO of Nike Inc. fax 503 671 6300
Kukdong International-Mex: fax 011 52 244 610 24 orkukdong@avante.net.mx

• Send contributions made out to No Sweat Campaigning Fund (write kukdong on the back) to No Sweat BCM Box 7750 London WC1N 3XX:

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