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wooing foreign firms looking to set up overseas manufacturing operations in a country with a population of 90 million.
for sale in the U.S. For Nike, rolling back these duties will allow us to grow in new markets, reinvest in innovation, and offset costs of doing business.”
“This edge appears to be working well in the context of rising labor costs in China and political mayhem in Thailand… They [foreign and local companies] warn any further wage hikes will cause grave consequences on Vietnam’s competitiveness in the near term, adding it needs to be considered ‘very carefully.’”
In short, Nike is after even cheaper prices, and expanded access to Vietnamese workers with no legal rights, no voice and no way out. Is this how we want to live?
— Thanh Nien News, “Vietnam Approves MinimumWage Hike of 15 Percent in 2015,” November 11, 2014 On March 10, 2015, Ms. Hilary Krane, Chief General Counsel at Nike, asked all 44,000 Nike staff to lobby for the TransPacific Partnership, telling them that the TPP would:
If Nike had the guts and morals, Nike would demand that their products made in Vietnam be made by workers who are guaranteed their freedom of association, their right to organize and to collectively bargain. I am certain that many Nike workers are desperate for reform which will allow them to make a living wage and to freely organize unions to defend their interests. Together we can work on making this a reality!
“reduce duties on footwear and apparel among TPP countries, including Nike products manufactured in Vietnam
Workers assemble Nike shoes at a factory on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, 2000.)
Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights