Fans blast Nike for owing women workers salary despite sponsoring women World Cup

ActionAid Australia, the CFMEU Manufacturing Division, and over 50 organisations including Human Rights Watch don join football fans around the world to tell NIKE to pay women workers wey dey work for their factory for Cambodia before the end of the FIFA Women’s World Cup wey dey shele Australia and New Zealand.

According to the tory, NIKE nah dem get the Violet Apparel factory wey dey produce cloth wey be like jalamia for Cambodia wey dey owe the women money. Dem sey dem don dey owe dem the money since 2020 after the factory stop to dey operate because of coro.

ActionAid executive director, Michelle Higelin don dey tear eyes give NIKE sey:

‘The whole world dey see sey wetin NIKE dey do nor make sense. Dem dey form sey dem dey sponsor women football but their sense nor tell dem sey dem suppose pay the women wey dey work for dem. For NIKE, the money nah small change but to those women from the poor region for Southeast Asia, the money nah millions. I wan use this opportunity to beg dem to pay this women so that everything go maramma for dem’

The money small for NIKE but e big for the women eyes

NIKE dey sponsor 13 teams for the ongoing FIFA Women’s World Cup including the Matildas wey be the Australian women team. The money wey dem dey owe nah $1.4m and this money nah wetin oyinbo dey call “severance package” wey dem give workers wey dey leave work. Nah 1,284 workers for Cambodia dem dey owe and the matter fit even go court.

Even if NIKE dey sey the factory don tey wey e stop to operate and e nor dey under dem again, football people dey wonder why dem allow the matter reach like this. So therefore, as NIKE nah one of the biggest cloth makers for world, dem don dey draw ear give dem to do the right thing. As e be, the matter don reach the players wey dem dey sponsor ears and e nor good for their business.