The big investigation of Adidas sweatshop - the Cheap labors in China ( By Li Qiang [李强] in Chinese)

the preface ( translated by Faydao, please reserved the link)

Key event: Adidas is the famous band on the Earth. From 2004 to 2007, in 4 years, it profited growth 68.28%. but who know, the profit including how many sweat of Chinese cheap labor. And now , there is a investigation report about how Adidas profit, the report including how to use labor, welfare and working security.

Li Qiang

Background:

Adidas is a multinational company who from Germany, it was famous for its shoes and sportswear. The shoes and sportswear are very popular in the world. It was respected as an Great famous sport band. 2004, Adidas had $646,770,453 profit. And in 2007, its profit had grown to $1,088,393,584 (go beyond one billion ), 4 years, the growth rate has reach 68.28% (all data from Adidas annul financial report )

In China, there are 200 factories, more than 250,000 labors working for Adidas. in the report form CLW, no matter in Chengda, Weili and Changyelong (the factory name in China), there is a similarity: all labors’ pay were so bad. though only 3 factories were investigated, but we can drew the picture for the suppliers of Adidas.

Most Adidas workers are female, about 20 years old, come from rural, just work in the factories which like Chengda, Weili, Changyelong ect.

They work 6 days every week for average, and everyday they work about 10 to 12 hours. They live in the staff dormitories. Every dormitory has 10 people, use a public bathroom. They have no pension. The workers in Changyelong are worried about late, if late for 5 min, they will lost 2 hours wages. In Chengda, only when customer auditing, the security device such as glove and mask were sent. And worse, the staff in Chengda could not choice diet autonomous, cause the factory will subtract their dinner money although they don’t know.

Some Adidas suppliers such as Chengda, declares, the staff work overtime is voluntary, because their salary was so low that they can’t help work overtime for survive and their family. They will not image if they can have an Adidas shoe or others products, though they produced them. If they want have, but it is impossible. Confront the low salary , frequently penalty of suppliers and long time working, the worker just hope the factory will pay the deserved salary.

The real profit holder in Olympic, it could never be the 250,000 workers in Adidas production line. Instead, it is the profiteer companies such as Adidas, they got the biggest profit by cut down the labor cost. Now, Adidas is planning move the produce line to other countries, workers were bled white. They leave the responsibility to China.

For sponsor the Olympic, Adidas had spent $74,567,918, and look at the workers’ low salary, no more than 65 cents every hour, it is not too hard image, how can Adidas sponsor Olympic, where were the money from, they all from 250,000 workers in China. Adidas use 3.5 months salary of the workers to sponsor Olympic. Adidas gain all repute and wealth, but the worker working day and night in the production line, to earn the additional cent.

Who is the biggest beneficiary in Olympic? Neither the common audience who have the chance to see the success and failure of athletes, nor the athletes who win the games. Instead, in the Olympic which stand for peace and hope, the biggest beneficiary is the company such as Adidas. But , the staff who work in the suppliers’ factories, they cannot look for peace and hope.

For that, CLW investigated the working condition in factories of Adidas suppliers : Changyelong sport goods company ltd. Weili textile company ltd of Zhongshan, Chengda shoes industry company ltd. From the report of CLW investigated the 3 factories, the conditions of the workers in Adidas suppliers factories were relative bad, the suppliers did not restrict the factories according to the standards of Adidas. The condition is unpromising, instead , Chinese workers only have the low and cheap salary, the additional work overtime, the paid lodging and boarding, the indemnification with no social insurance, hard to ask for leave, fine, the salary was docked, no security measure.

Impossible is nothing ,the ad word of Adidas, but form the report of CLW, the investigation on Chengda, Weili, Changyelong, for Adidas itself, one thing is impossible, give the humanity working conditions, it look likes impossible?