New worker abuse claims for Nike

SUKABUMI, Indonesia - Workers making Converse sneakers in Indonesia say supervisors throw shoes at them, slap them in the face, and call them dogs and pigs.

Nike, the brand's owner, admits that such abuse has occurred among the contractors that make its hip high-tops but says there was little it could do to stop it.

Dozens of workers interviewed by the Associated Press and a document released by Nike show that the footwear and athletic-apparel giant has far to go to meet the standards it set for itself a decade ago to end its reliance on sweatshop labor.

One worker at the Pou Chen Group factory in Sukabumi, about 60 miles from Jakarta, said she was kicked by a supervisor last year after making a mistake while cutting rubber for soles.

"We're powerless," the woman said. "Our only choice is to stay and suffer, or speak out and be fired."

The 10,000 mostly female workers at the Taiwanese-operated Pou Chen plant make about 50 cents an hour. That's enough for food and bunkhouse-type lodging but little else.

Mira Agustina, 30, said she was fired in 2009 for taking sick leave, even though she produced a doctor's note.

"It was a horrible job," she said. "Our bosses pointed their feet at us, calling us names like dog, pig, or monkey." All are major insults to Muslims. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation.

At the PT Amara Footwear factory just outside Jakarta, where another Taiwanese contractor makes Converse shoes, a supervisor ordered six female workers to stand in the blazing sun after they failed to meet their target of completing 60 dozen pairs of shoes on time.

The company's own inquiries also found workers at the two factories were subjected to "serious and egregious" physical and verbal abuse, including the punishment of forcing workers to stand in the sun, said Hannah Jones, a Nike executive who oversees the company's efforts to improve working conditions.

"We do see other issues of that similar nature coming up across the supply chain but not on a frequent level," she said. "We see issues of working conditions on a less egregious nature across the board."

Nike, which came under heavy criticism a decade ago for its use of foreign sweatshops and child labor, has taken steps since then to improve conditions at its 1,000 overseas factories. But the progress it has made at factories producing gear with its premier "swoosh" logo is not fully reflected in those making Converse products.

An internal report Nike released to the AP after a reporter inquired about the abuse shows that nearly two-thirds of 168 factories making Converse products worldwide fail to meet Nike's standards for contract manufacturers.