Feedback | 14 June 2003

Comment on The noble feat of Nike by Johan Norberg (07/06/2003)

Though I would not describe myself being anti-globalisation, I do think some qualification of Johan Norberg’s article (the noble feat of Nike) is required.

Admittedly, I have no information on the conditions in the Vietnam factory that Norberg refers to, but such conditions are far from universal. If, as he says, workers are so desperate to work for Nike factories, why were 300 striking workers beaten by police in riot gear outside the Kuk Dong factory in Atlixco, Mexico in January 2001? Apparently because they wanted to form a union for better wages and food.

In the same country, workers in the Puma factory Matamoros Garment in Puebla, Mexico had not been paid for three weeks, and went on a one-day strike. There were also complaints of forced overtime, no freedom of association and forced overtime. The management threatened that the workers would lose their jobs if they did not renounce their decision to form a union. Puma then withdrew its orders because of the strike.

Does Mr Norberg really think that the labour code of practice that Nike employs (although it has been found not to implement the code in some cases) would have been adopted if it were not for the publicity generated by the protesters whom he denounces as naive teens who need to ‘learn their lesson’? In 1998, Nike’s CEO made a statement pledging to improve the conditions in foreign plants precisely because they were so frightened of the effect that a boycott would have on profits.

Globalisation can be a good thing, but only if employed responsibly under the watchful eye of people with a conscience. Simplistic views about how globalisation is undoubtedly the best thing since the wheel are deeply unhelpful, and deeply flawed.
Robin Evans

I can only assume Johan Norberg was paid handsomely by Nike to write this article.