1,284 Cambodian women garment workers lost their jobs during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic when their factory abruptly shut down. They were never paid their legally owed severance compensation, yet they were making products for one of the richest brands in the world: Nike.
3 years later, the garment workers continue to fight for what their owed, but Nike still has not paid the US$1.4million owed to these women*. This amount is a drop in the ocean for Nike, which earned US$21.4 billion last financial year!
It’s time to call on allies in positions of power to take solidarity action.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup is bringing equal-pay champions with close ties to Nike to our shores. It’s a unique opportunity to bring this issue to their attention, and ask them to make Nike listen.
Megan, Tobin, Christen and Meg are US women’s soccer players who’ve teamed up before to take action for equal pay and social justice – and we believe that if they hear the garment workers’ call, they’ll be compelled to act.
You can take action by sending a message to equal pay champions Megan, Tobin, Christen and Meg, asking them to urge their sponsor to pay their workers.
*In neighbouring Thailand, more than 3000 workers, mostly Burmese migrants, were denied legally owed furlough pay during the pandemic which their employer — the Nike supplier, Hong Seng Knitting — refused to pay, threatening and intimidating workers when they asked for it. They are still owed US$800,000 today. Together with the Violet Apparel workers, this means Nike owes at least US$2.2million to workers in its supply chain.