Action on adidas

Indonesian adidas workers strike

Activists protest outside adidas in London

Image © Chris Honeywell, Working Images, 2012

Over a year ago, PT Kizone, a factory in Indonesia, was shut down when its owner fled the country. The factory owed its workers more than $3.4 million in redundancy money. Every other company that used the factory paid up - except adidas, who have left a gaping hole of $1.8 million in the pockets of Indonesian workers.

For over a year, People & Planet’s sister organisation United Students Against Sweatshops has been campaigning for adidas to pay the sacked workers. Now People & Planet is joining the campaign.

The last company to take on USAS and People & Planet was Fruit of the Loom. When they sacked 1300 workers in Honduras, we mobilised an international campaign to get their jobs back. They were forced to rehire all the workers and the campaign forced a step-change in Honduras, where thousands of workers now have the right to unionise.

We won last time, and we’ll win again. All our experience tells us that when students unite with workers in the Global South, corporations have to give in.

What can I do?

• If you’re a student officer, sign our letter to adidas. We need them to know that, all over the country, students are getting ready to take the campaign forward next term.

• Write to adidas and tell its boss that this issue isn’t going away.

• Protest. We’ve already organised a fantastic action outside the adidas store in London. There will be many more this year!

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