Through a detailed survey of workers in those factories in the Pearl River Delta, we found that the shoe factories consistently violate Chinese Labor Laws regulating issues such as wages, overtime and child labour. We also found that the Codes of Conduct that Nike and Reebok have formulated to regulate their practices overseas are being violated in such a flagrant fashion as to make those Codes virtually meaningless. This report reveals that both the internal and external monitoring systems set up by Nike and Reebok to ensure compliance with their Codes have been completely ineffective.
Factories violate local laws for payment of overtime.
Workers are treated as though they are in a prison labour camp. They complain of beatings by security guards. They are forced to do daily rounds of early-morning calisthenics, and are fined if they miss them. Deducting disciplinary fines from wages is illegal in China. Wildcat strikes are common, but workers often lose out.