In January 2011, the owner of PT Kizone in Indonesia fled, resulting in the closure of the factory in April the same year, and leaving 2,800 workers without work and the severance pay they were entitled to. Sportswear brand adidas had been sourcing from PT Kizone for many years, where workers were paid as little as US$ 0.60 an hour.
In July 2011, other buyers at the factory announced that they would contribute US$ 1.6 million to a fund to compensate workers, roughly half of the US$ 3.4 million that was owed to them. To date adidas has refused to contribute to the fund. Now, a year after the factory shut down, the workers are still legally owed the remaining US$ 1.8 million in severance plus interest, which means former workers are incurring debts to survive and may be unable to keep sending their children to school.
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One worker, Tika(1), says ‘I really hope I can find more money so my son can go to high school as soon as possible. If he doesn’t have more school, he won’t be able to earn a living. If he does finish school, he can get a job. I’ll be old, I won’t be able to help him soon. Once you’re over 45, it’s hard to find a job even if you have skills. I’m 42 years old now, so I have just three years more’.
See films of more worker stories on the Playfair website at http://www.playfair2012.org.uk/2011/12/1-8-million-owed-to-pt-kizone-workers/
Support workers like Tika to access the money they are owed. Take action now!
(1) The name has been changed to protect the workers' identity
