Workers on short term contracts have no job security

To ensure rights for workers in their supply chains, major sportswear brands, such as Adidas, Nike, Pentland, need to do a lot more than adopt codes of conduct. These brands need to take demonstrate responsibility and take a proactive approach to ensuring that rights are upheld if anything is going to change.

Specifically, we’re calling on major sportswear brands to:

• Pay all workers a living wage
• Support the creation of a positive climate where workers are free to organise, join trade unions and bargain collectively
• Eliminate short term contracts and provide job security
• Build long-term relationships with supplier factories.

“At work, there is a code of conduct (4) displayed in Sinhala, Tamil and English, and it clearly states that the right to freedom of association should be respected. But there is no trade union in my factory. I think workers are too frightened to join a union, fearing they will be sacked.” (Malani, a Sri Lankan worker at an Adidas supplier interviewed in 2011.)

The situtation so far…

Demand	Adidas	Nike	Pentland (makers of speedo)
Commit to paying a living wage to workers making their products.	Despite being committed to a living wage through sourcing agreements with the London Games Organisers LOCOG, adidas continues to refuse to implement the payment of a living wage to workers producing Olympic sportswear, or any adidas goods. More...	Nike’s planned inclusion of a ‘fair wage’ in its code of conduct for suppliers is a step forward. But payment of a living wage should not be linked to expected increases in productivity. More...	Pentland includes a living wage in its policies. But more work needs to be done to turn this into a reality at factory level. More...
Create a positive climate where workers are free to join trade unions & negotiate for improved rights	adidas has signed up to the agreement on freedom of association in Indonesia, but needs to do more across all its suppliers to create a positive climate for trade unionism and collective negotiating. More...	Nike has signed up to the agreement on freedom of association in Indonesia, but needs to do more across all its suppliers to create a positive climate for trade unionism and collective negotiating. More...	Pentland has signed up to the agreement on freedom of association in Indonesia, but needs to do more across all its suppliers to create a positive climate for trade unionism and collective negotiating. More...
Eliminate short- term contracts and provide job security	Adidas has adopted policies that seek to protect the rights of contract workers. But much more needs to be done to ensure these are implemented as recent research shows excessive use of short-term contracts and violations of workers’ rights is still a major issue. More...	Nike has defined excessive use of short-term contracts in its code of conduct with suppliers, and requires suppliers to take remedial action if this is exceeded. But, Nike still needs to improve its business practices and the systems monitoring excessive use of short-term contracting. More...	Pentland states that workers in all its main suppliers are on permanent contracts. But it needs to ensure this standard applies to all suppliers. More...
Build long-term relationships with supply factories	adidas states that it strives “to engage in long-term and stable relationships with manufacturing partners,” but makes no commitment on targets. The company needs a more systematic approach. More...	Nike states that it follows guidance on responsible sourcing as a member of the MFA Forum. But the company needs a more systematic approach to building long-term relationships with all its supplier factories and should report on progress. More...	Pentland recognises the benefits of long-term relationships with supply factories, but refuses to commit to setting firm targets. More...

In 2008 companies submitted detailed information on a number of playfair policy and workers rights issues to the ‘clearing the hurdles’ webiste.  This includes further responses from Adidas, Nike and Pentland: http://www.clearingthehurdles.org/response-chart