The Pay Your Workers campaign alliance, supported by 260 civil society organizations around the world, has planned global actions this week – October 24-30, 2022 – in which activists take to the streets and from Adidas will demand to respect the rights of workers in its supply chain.
Concretely, actions are planned in front of retail stores and factories in 20 cities in Europe, USA, Bangladesh and Pakistan, where the voices of workers and trade unionists will be heard from countries like Indonesia and India, where poverty wages are the order of the day . “Online and offline, Adidas is confronted with the demands of workers, which the company has previously ignored,” says a press release.
Actions in front of shops and factories
Most of the production of Adidas and other apparel companies takes place in countries where there are no or only insufficient social protection systems, which are often poorly enforced. This means that workers often have no source of income if they lose their jobs. Workers in Indonesia, Cambodia and other key Adidas producing countries are struggling with hunger and piling up debt to pay for basic necessities such as rent and groceries for their families.
“Although Adidas posted net income of over $2.3 billion in 2021, the brand refuses to take responsibility for wage theft in its supply chain. In Cambodia alone, the more than 30,000 workers in eight factories that produce for Adidas are missing $11.7 million in unpaid wages,” the coalition denounced.
In Germany, activists will stage a flash mob in front of Adidas stores in Berlin and Leipzig, among others, on October 25 and 28.
Adidas denies the allegations and responded by email to FashionUnited’s request: “Even during the pandemic, Adidas has ensured fair working conditions and wages as well as a safe working environment at its suppliers. We have continued to source products from our partners and have fully met our payment obligations for produced and ongoing orders. The company has also ensured compliance with legal requirements regarding income and social benefits and documented the working conditions in each individual factory.”
This post was updated on 24 October 2022 at 3pm with a statement from Adidas.