BY JACKIE LYNCH

MELBOURNE — Chanting “Shame, Nike, shame!”, Fairwear activists staged a lively demonstration at the Australian Open tennis tournament on January 23. The sportswear giant Nike sponsors the event and has reportedly signed Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt to a five-year deal worth $27 million.

The protesters highlighted Nike's international labour rights abuses and the exploitation of outworkers in Australia. They expressed solidarity with the workers in the Kuk Dong Nike factory in Mexico's free trade zone. Workers at Kuk Dong have been on strike since January 9 to protest against low wages and appalling conditions.

Fairwear activists handed out hundreds of leaflets and unfurled a banner reading “Nike = Slavery” in front of the main arena. Many tennis fans had heard about the Mexican strike on ABC radio and supported the protest.

“We are here to tell Nike they won't get away with abusing workers. They can put their swoosh symbols on every tennis player's shirt, but we will still be here to protest until they stop abusing worker's rights”, said Pamela Curr, Fairwear's coordinator.

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