None of the nine factories pays its employees a living wage – one of the cornerstones of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) base code, adopted by the Olympics organising committee LOCOG. Workers struggle to survive on pay as low as 5,000 rupiah (34p) an hour, skipping meals to save money, and sending their children away to be looked after by grandparents.
At a Tangerang factory, PT Panarub Industry – Adidas's main global supplier of football boots, and outfitter of some of Britain's Olympic footballers - workers say they face intense pressure to meet production targets.
"It's hard to get permission even to go to the bathroom; we're tied to our seats," said Yuliani, a 23-year-old seamstress, speaking metaphorically. "If you're forced to go, the pile of work becomes so high that you get shouted at by the production line leader. They call you a dog, brainless, uneducated. Sometimes we have to sacrifice our lunchbreak to reach the target."
Her colleague, Ratna, added: "If the leader gets really angry, they throw the shoes in front of the workers. Once on my line I saw a worker get hit by a shoe."
Some workers described being slapped in the face and having their ears pinched by managers.
A spokeswoman for Locog said: "We place a high priority on environmental, social and ethical issues when securing goods and services and take these allegations extremely seriously.
"We have spoken to Adidas and they have assured us that they are investigating these allegations, the conclusions of which will be made public.”
Labour Behind the Label feels these findings are shocking but not surprising.
Where human rights are concerned, one problem leads to another. A failure to pay a living wage (which adidas has consistently refused to aspire to) leads to excessive overtime for workers as a necessary survival mechanism. Short lead times on products (set by adidas) lead to pressurised workplaces where breaks are impossible and supervisers become abusive as a way to whip their workforce to maximum productivity.
Adidas's own safeguards have failed as this is an industry which defaults to the lowest standards in order to make the most profit. Unless proactive intervention is taken to deliver living wages and rights, workplaces like these will continue to be the norm. Adidas' current system of standards written on the wall and occasional audit checking doesn't go far enough to ensure living wages are paid, and workers are enabled to work with dignity and respect.
Despite paper improvements by big sportswear brands like adidas, not much has changed on the ground for workers over the last decade. The cost of living has rocketed in many producer countries, while the prices brands are willing to pay per piece has dropped, the painful cost of which is often passed on to the worker.
Adidas have taken some steps positive steps towards working with unions on the ground in Indonesia by signing an agreement giving practical support on the workers' right to freedom of association. However work on wage improvement however has been slow, and worldwide we're still seeing workers earning around half of a basic living wage.
A shift is needed from a fire fighting mentality, to one where brands take leadership in systematically combating the problems. We hope that adidas will wake up to the implications of these type of findings and work globally to deliver living wages and dignity to workers making its clothing.
