Nike, on your bike!

Nike, on your bike!

BY WILL WILLIAMS

SYDNEY — Clothing and footwear giant Nike copped it from all sides on June 24 as 150 angry activists marched on and briefly occupied its George Street store in the city to protest against exploitative labour practices.

The protest began with an award ceremony outside the Olympic Games shop in the Pitt Street Mall in which Nike (beating off challenges from Shell, McDonald's, Westpac and Coca-Cola) was presented with a gold medal for "furthering the cause of corporate tyranny".

The action, organised by Campaign Against Corporate Tyranny in Unity and Solidarity (CACTUS), targeted Nike's appallingly low wage levels (16 to 19 cents per hour in Indonesia), its long work hours (up to 72 hours per week) and its attempts to restrict workers' rights.

Chanting "Human need not corporate greed, shame Nike shame", activists occupied the Nike store for an hour before police were called in. Activists refused to leave until they had heard all the scheduled speakers, including representatives from the Indigenous Student Network, the National Union of Students and the Fairwear campaign.

The protest was part of CACTUS's actions in the lead-up to planned mass demonstrations when the heads of 800 multinationals gather for the World Economic Forum's September 11-13 summit in Melbourne. The vibe amongst the activists was clear: "Bring on September 11".

From GLW issue 410