企业全球化和巴基斯坦英.docx

1、企业全球化和巴基斯坦英Corporate globalization and human rights abuses in the sweatshops of pakistan, indonesia and vietnamCorporate Globalization and Human Rights Abuses in the Sweatshops of Pakistan, Indonesia and Vietnam(The Context of Children Rights, Rights of Citizenry, Gender Equality and Labour Rights)I

2、njustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King.If we cannot make globalization work for all; in the end it will work for noneKofi Annan.Amjad Nazeer1Introduction:Borrowing its name from an ancient goddess of victory in war,Nikeis now the official brand-name of the largest sp

3、orts and apparel corporation in the world. Blue Ribbon Sports was its genesis that later on transformed herself into Nike in the beginning of 1970s. Symbolized by the sign of swoosh Nike is now a name synonymous with the world of sports. In his search for light, sportive yet robust athletic shoes, P

4、hillip Knight, the founder, CEO and chairman of Nike picked up the idea from a Japanese shoe manufacturer Onitsuka while working in partnership with the Oregon University coach Bill Bowerman in the sprouting years of 1960s. Starting with as minor a distributor of shoes as from the back of his car, N

5、ikes success is skyrocketing. Its sale moved from $10 million to $270 million in 1970s. A fitness and flying revolution for feet what the American athletes were looking for, is the secret of Knights Niks popularity. Within two decades Nike emerged as an athletic shoe juggernaut in 1980s and 1990s.Co

6、me the age of free market, sprawling mantra of media, advertisement and transnational investment in the 1990s the Greek goddess symbolized by swoosh became ubiquitous trespassing the ring of sports. May it be the city centre of Northern metropolis or the supermarkets of Southern towns; Nikes sign is

7、 conspicuously present. No surprise that its annual return shot up to the phenomenal amount of $12 billion in 2000s and exceeding $22 billion late 2008/9. Nikes CEO Phil Knight is the 5th richest man of America, worth $5 billion2. Headquartered in Oregon USA, Nike is still a top sportswear with its

8、attractive jingles, run on air, just do it, and running. Star sportsmen like Michael Jones and Tiger Woods are paid as high as $8-10 million dollars just to wear a Nike swoosh. Bear in mind, the amount exceeds the salary of 700,000 workers for a month in a Nike factory in Indonesia, Pakistan or Viet

9、nam. Suppose Mr. Knight gives up his one years profit the salary of all Nike workers could be doubled. Thanks to globalization, free trade zones and cheap labour supply in third world countries3.Lead by USA and Britain in 1980s neo-liberal approach of economic development began to dominate the natio

10、nal and international landscape of political priorities. Cutting down the role of the state, free flow of capital, profit maximization and private provision of employment was adopted as the driving force behindeconomicdevelopment. End of cold war in 1989 unleashed new opportunities and territories f

11、or global investors. Developing countries began to look for foreign investment for their national growth employment generation. Tariffs were slashed; free trade zones set up, taxes toppled over andlabourlawsand environmental concerns were only a remote consideration in their investment negotiations.

12、 Multinational and Trans-national Corporations i.e. MNCs and TNCs materialized the opportunities and rapidly transplanted their production-units and supply-chains in the poor countries where labour supply was abundant and material cheap. So much so around 60,000 TNCs are now operating across the glo

13、be with 800,000 supply-chains all over the world4.The Case Description:Following the suit, Nikes 900 supply factories are situated in 50 countries, all poor and underdeveloped. In order to have a focused discussion and better analysis, I will confine my reference to Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan o

14、nly. Given the horrible conditions of work, ridiculously low wages and exploitation of child-labour Nikes factories were critically renamed as sweatshops. The issue came to fore when USAs Life Magazine published the story of a 12 years old Tariq in 1996. Stitching diligently and immersed in the pile

15、 of Nike footballs, as was shown in the picture, the boy worked for a Nike factory in Pakistan for 12 to 14 hours a day. It was the first story ever that unmasked an ugly face of the goddess to American public. Several articles,news-stories and documentaries followed, unfolding the dreadful reality

16、of globalized production and supply.75 to 80% of Nike labour comprises on 10-14 years boys and mostly girls. Girls usually outnumber boys save on the supervisory positions. Most of the girls are struck if they get married, otherwise fired at the age of 35 to replace with a young and energetic lot. U

17、nionization is strictly prohibited. Normal working hours run from 12-16 hours and overtime is a must. The day is interspersed with one hour lunch-break; toilet use is permitted twice a day and water intake is rationed. Young workers keep in-hailing machine fumes, toxic glue and lather and cloth wool

18、. 77% of them get lung cancer or acquire swear respiratory diseases5 and turnover is high.According to internal pricing and production documents6 each worker should produce one shirt every 6.6 minutes and against each shirt or a pair of shoe which is sold from $150-250 a worker is paid 30-40 cents a

19、round 310th to 460th part of its retail price. On average every worker sews one pocket every 17 seconds, means 3338 pockets in a day7. Though occasionally, if the poor workers demand higher remunerations they are either beaten up by the supervisors or by the local police. Verbal abuse is a norm to s

20、peed up the work. In a typical Vietnamese factory only 1 doctor is available to 6000 workers and only for 2 hours a day. Young workers keep collapsing due to unbearable heat, toxic air and poor nutrition. In April 1997, 10000 out of 13000 workers went on strike demanding a pay raise. One worker was

21、locked-up in a factory room for the whole week and was interrogated by the military for organizing labour8.Box 1.Once Indonesian Noble peace prize winner Jose Ramos-Horta said that Nike should be treated as enemy, in the same manner as we view army and the government as the perpetrator of human righ

22、ts abuses. What is the difference between the behaviour of Nike and Japanese imperial army in WW II. Yes! Nike has created 115000 jobs in Indonesia but only at subsistent wages which hardly contributes towards sustainable economic development. Source, Ibid.Nike prefers hiring young girls in its appa

23、rel factories as girls in Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan are normally obedient and docile due to cultural orientation. What else Nike is doing, if not contributing towards the feminization of poverty. A gender neutrality assumption of globalization is proves false9 on visiting any of the Nikes supp

24、ly factories.Box 2. The famous American basketball player Micheal Jordan, sponsored by millions of dollars to wear Nike outfits, once happened to see other side of Nike in China and Indonesia where 12-14 years old girls were forced to work for 12-14 hours a day. He was moved so much that he gave all

25、 26 million USD that he made that year for the sweatshops welfare in China and Indonesia10.In Vietnam sweatshops, if a worker fails to produce her monthly quota, she is struck with a punishment of 15 to 20 % deduction from her salary. Beating, harassment and sexual abuse is not uncommon. Thefactoryo

26、wnersare brutal and wield police force and local mafias to harass, beat up and at times kill the workers who demand a higher remuneration or try to unionize. An atmosphere of fear noticeably features workers behaviour. Misconduct and manhandling of one in front of other workers serves as an instrume

27、nt to set example for others to remain in limits11. In 2008, around 20,000 Nike workers organized a strike in Vietnam against the poor wages and awful working conditions12, but in vain.Children Rights, Women Rights and Labour Rights in the Context of Globalization:Although experts and scholars disag

28、ree on the chronology, causes and consequences of globalization but in the present context, I will emphasise transnational investment, production and supply aspect of globalization. According to Frederic Jameson, Globalization reflects the sense of an immense enlargement of world communication, as w

29、ell as of the horizon of the world market, both of which seem far more tangible and immediate than in early stages of modernity. David Held defines globalization as a process which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and (economic) transactions - assessed in the

30、ir terms of extensity, intensity, velocity and impact-generating transcontinental or inter-regional flows and networks of activity, interaction and the exercise of power.13In reference to TNCs practices in their supply-units we find them guilty of violating all international human rights principles

31、stated in various conventions. The Article 25 (1) states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of (her)self and of her family. Similarly the right to an adequate standard of living also makes a conspicuous appearance in Article 11 of IC-ESCR stati

32、ng that, the state parties recognize the right of every one to an adequate standard of living for (her)self and her family. The Convention on the Right of the Child also recognizes the right of every child to a standard of living adequate to the childs physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development under Article 27. Work related rights and decent standard of living is also recognized in all other regional conventions as well14. Slavery and slave-like practices are prohibited both in customary and the treaty law. Slavery is prohibited together w