Nike Steals

Nike workers are owed over $2 million since the pandemic.

Workers in Cambodia and Thailand who made clothes for Nike are fighting for the severance and back wages since 2020.

Ramatex/Violet Apparel

When the Violet Apparel factory in Cambodia, owned by Ramatex, suddenly closed in July 2020, all of its workers lost their jobs. In response, the workers demanded their legally owed compensation, including unpaid wages and bonuses. Nike was sourcing from Ramatex and have the responsibilty to ensure the workers are paid. The union is demanding $1.4 million unpaid compensation and damages as workers are entitled to under Cambodian law. Nike, despite being the largest buyer from the Ramatex group, has thus far failed to take responsibility.

Hong Seng Knitting

Workers at the Hong Seng Knitting garment factory in Thailand who sew university logo apparel for Nike have been subjected to abuse, wage theft and retaliation by factory management from May - October 2020. A report from the Worker Rights Consortium uncovers an illegal wage theft scheme that deprived workers of nearly $600,000 in legally mandated wages, an average of $172, or more than 15 days’ wages, per worker. With interest, that figure is more than $900,000.

The factory wanted to avoid paying workers' legal right to income security during periods of low production. Under Thai law, workers have a right to a reduced wage if a factory temprorarily suspends work. Factory management however compelled workers to sign a form falsely stating that they wanted to take voluntary unpaid leave. Workers who resisted signing, were met with threats of dismissal, retaliation, intimidation or even reporting to the police. The Thai government ruled that the forms do not constitute a lawful basis to deny workers their wages.

Nike claims that most workers volunteered to take unpaid leave, calling the furlough program “consensual and voluntary”, despite the pressure workers were experiencing and the financial stress they were under. The company has no explanation for why hundreds of workers would freely choose to give up wages to which they were legally entitled.