Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh

1. Trying to get the workers in Indonesia fair wages is not really inflicting Western values on them. Perhaps it is inflicting justice and fairness, but those are not just Western values. Every human wants to be treated fairly. It is a universal desire. Nike brought the Western values of greed and sweatshop slavery to the people of Indonesia. Perhaps they did not have jobs before Nike came, but Nike exploited their poverty and desire to have an income by not paying them a living wage. Nobody believes that they would be paid minimum wage by Western standards, but they should be paid a living wage that does not require them to work hours overtime just to survive. That is not a job; it is slavery.

Nike tried to deny that they were using sweatshop labor in the 1990s, but if they had nothing to hide then they should have allowed the Americans in who wanted to see what it was like inside the factories. Instead, Nike denied them access, sent security to threaten them and then follow them to their homes. This does not sound like a company with nothing to hide. Nike has the social responsibility to ensure that their workers are being treated fairly and not being threatened. Yet, when a worker tried to unionize, she was beaten and illegally jailed for doing something that every worker should have the right to do and that is seek a better work standard than below poverty wages, long hours and terrible conditions (Nike Sweatshops: Behind the Swoosh, 2011). Phil Knight acts as if he is a philanthropic person, but he does not show much kindness or caring to his own workforce. He is the one imposing the Western habit of greed rather than showing the universal trait of love and caring about one’s fellow human beings especially those who work to make their boss wealthy.