Child Labor Nike

BUSINESSES

Nike is one of the well-known major corporations and is worth four billion dollars. They have factories in China, South Korea, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, where they employ people, including children for twelve-hour shifts and pay them as low sixteen cents an hour. At this rate, each person only earns about $6.92 per week and $358.84 for the entire year. In the U.S, we spend about that much in just one month. The work areas in these countries are unsafe, noisy, unsanitary, injurious, and very strict. The whole area is filled with dust and fumes. People have broken fingers, fainted, lost limbs, continued kidney infections from not being allowed to go to the bathroom for more than once. People have even died. While working, the employees are not allowed to converse with each other. When the rules are violated, the consequences are verbal or physical abuse and/or being fired.

National Archieves

In May of 1998, labor activists improved the child labor conditions in third world countries by causing Nike to increase the minimum age of working to eighteen years of age. The activists hope that this occurrence will trigger other companies to do the same thing also.
Isn't it interesting that over here in the United States, a pair of Nike costs about $100, when the people who made these shoes only receive about $3.00 for each pair of shoes they make?

Sources: Alfred, 1999; Forbes,1999 and Karon, 1998