Enhancing workers' life

A groundbreaking study on the concerns and aspirations of 4,500 workers in nine Nike contract factories in Indonesia has just been released by an alliance of foundations, private companies and international institutions. It is part of a significant effort to improve workplace experiences and life opportunities for assembly line workers in these factories.

In a Feb. 26 editorial in The Jakarta Post (Postcard from a factory), the paper correctly described the report as "an eye- opener". We believe it is, not only for what we learned about these workers' everyday lives and future aspirations, but also what it reveals about the fundamental challenges of global manufacturing supply chains. It is relevant to every country and to every factory engaged in global manufacturing worldwide.

This study was released by the Global Alliance for Workers and Communities and conducted by the Center for Societal Development Studies at Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta. Workers who participated in the study were asked -- many for the first time -- about workplace conditions, family life, health concerns and hopes for the future. Some of what these workers had to say is extremely troubling to the Alliance and its corporate members, but there was also much to be encouraged by. The bottom line is that these findings are not unique to Nike contract factories alone. They could be told about hundreds of the world's best- known brands and companies, in countless countries around the world.

What also needs to be said very clearly is that the participation of these factories, their management and the workers themselves in this initiative takes courage. These actions reflect a serious commitment on the part of Nike and its contract-factory managers to improve workers' lives. Not many global companies, and few factories in Indonesia, have taken this unprecedented step of opening up their factories to such an independent interview process, knowing the results -- both positive and negative -- would be shared publicly. They should be commended for setting a new standard of openness and honesty -- which should be the model for factories not only here in Indonesia but around the world.

The most critical issue here is what is going to be done to address these challenges in the workplace, and to meet workers needs and aspirations? This Indonesia study will be the foundation used to design and deliver programs and other opportunities for the workers to enhance their lives -- both on the job and in their communities. This includes programs that address harassment, workers' medical leave, overtime violations and grievances. Nike has already developed a detailed remediation plan that will ensure progress is made in these areas.

From this experience, Global Alliance and its partners are more convinced than ever that we must listen to workers' voices, provide a platform for them to air their concerns, and engage them directly in shaping their own futures. We've also learned that progress can only be made when companies and factories have the courage to be open about workers' concerns and have the resources and commitment to respond to their needs.

In the end, this is not a Nike story or an Indonesian story. This is part of a much larger story about the enormous opportunities that exist to improve the lives of workers engaged in global manufacturing, and the emerging role that global companies and their local partners can -- and must play -- to promote those efforts.

RICK LITTLE

Chairman

Operating Council

for the Global Alliance

for Workers and Communities