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Excerpts from Nike Shareholder Transcript and Vietnamese Newspapers

From Thuyen, Campagin Against Labor Exploitation in Vietnam
http://www.saigon.com/~nike
24 November 1996

1. PHYSICAL ABUSE

Phil Knight, Nike CEO (transcript):

We had a situation that got some publicity more in Asia maybe than in the United States, where we had a -- a stitching room floor lady, a Korean floor lady in -- in one of the Vietnamese factories, you know, hit a Vietnamese stitcher on the -- on the arm with an upper. And an incdent was made out of that.

The -- The Korean floor lady was setn back to Korea and doesn't work in that factory anymore. It's basically an enforcement of our (quote) "conduct." But I will point out that

The Worker Newspaper, March 31, 1996

FOREIGN TECHNICIAN STRIKE 15 VIETNAMESE WORKERS

Ngu+o+`i Lao DDo^.ng, 31/3/1996

Chuye^n gia nu+o+'c ngoa`i dda'nh 15 CNVN

The Worker Newspaper, April 1, 1976

At Sam Yang Company, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City KOREAN TECHNICAL EMPLOYEE RUDELY STRIKES MANY VIETNAMESE FEMALE WORKERS

Sub-head: Present immediately after the incident took palce, before us was a scene of 970 sewing factory workers on strike, standing and sitting everywhere under the burning sun, in reaction to a Korean technician hitting Vietnamese workes.

Ngu+o+`i Lao DDo^.ng, 1/4/1996

O+? co^ng ty Sam Yang (Huye^.n Cu? Chi, TP HCM) Nha^n vie^n ky~ thua^.t Ha`n Quo^'c dda'nh dda^.p tho^ ba.o nhie^`u nu+~ co^ng nha^n Vie^.t Nam

Co' ma(.t ngay sau lu'c xa?y ra vu.v vie^.c, tru+o+'c ma('t chu'ng to^i la` ca?nh 970 co^ng nha^n (CN) pha^n xu+o+?ng may ddan ddi`nh co^ng, ddu+'ng nog^`i la lie^.t, du+o+'i ca'i na('ng ddo^? lu+?a dde^? pha? ddo^'i nha^n vie^n ky~ thua^.t Ha`n Quo^'c dda'nh co^ng nha^n Vie^.t Nam.

2. SEXUAL ABUSE

Phil Knight, NIke CEO

Fairly recently in Vietnam, that basically there was a situation on the night shift where four of the woman th-- who were in the stitching fell asleep. And -- and the night watchman who again was Korean in coming through the room, two of them woke up and fled the room. And he shock the other two. And in the shaing of one of 'em, there was perhaps some misappropriate behavior. And then he touched a part that he should not have.

That basically she protested. And -- and bascially, it comes about as close as you can get to sexual harassment in U.S. terms, as you can get. The night watchman was sent back to Korea. And - essentially, trying to rectify the siutation. However, it was reported in one of the Vietnam -- at least one of the Vietnamese newspaper as a rape.

The Worker - August 23, 1996 -

At 4:40 am on the morning of August 18, 1996, Kim Sung Rat went to inspect passing an area where there were four Vietnamese female workers working in the computer embroidery room. Kim Sung Rat let two of the workes take a break and called the other two female workers, NTH and NTVP, to come to the storage area at the farthest end of the factory where there was no one working, about 50 meters away from the computer room. Here Kim Sung Rat called NTVP into the storage area and made a gesture that she should take off her shirt. After that, Rat tore the shirt of P and felt her up. P ferociously resisted, and was able to run and escape.

At that moment Rat grabbed a harnd and pulled H into the room. Again with a very obscene action, he rubbed her chest, pulls the pants zipper of H, and rubbed her private parts. After that, Rat made a sign by his finger in a very obscene manner indicating sexual intercourse. Although weaker than P, and being unable to escape nevertheless, H ferociously resisted. Being able to guess the activity or Rat in the storage roo, as he had done with her, Miss P had run to call the guards, and R was caught in the act.

Ngu+o+`i Lao DDo^.ng, 23/8/1996

Va`o lu'c 4 gio+` 40 phu't sa'ng 18-8-1996, Kim Sung Rat ddi kie^?m tra qua ku vu+'c co' 4 nu+~ co^ng nha^n VN la`m vie^.c trong pho`ng the^u vi tinh. KIm Sung Rat cho 2 nu+~ co^ng nha^n nghi? va` go.i 2 nu+~ co^ng nha^n la NTH va NTVP dde^'n kho cuo^'i xu+o+?ng may (kho^ng co' ngu+o+`i la`m vie^.c) ca'ch pho`ng vi. tinh 50 met. Ta.i dda^y Kim Sung Rat go.i NTVP va`o kho ra hie^.u co+?i a'o. Sau ddo' Rat du+'t a'o cu?a P va` so+` soa.ng. P cho^'ng cu+. quy^'t lie^.t va` vu`ng cha.y thoa't. Ngay lu'c do', Rat ra ke'o tay, lo^i H va`o pho`ng. Cu`ng vo+'i nhu+~ng ddo^.ng ta'c tho^ bi? ddo', ro+` ngu+.c, ke'o kho'a qua^`n H, ro+` va`o cho^? ki'n. Sau ddo' Rat ra hie^.u (va(ng ngo'n tay...) ddo^.ng ta'c tho^ bi? chi? su+. giao ho+.p. Du` su+'c ye^'u ho+n P, kho^ng the^? vung thoa't nhu+ng H dda~ cho^'ng tra? ra^'t quye^'t lie^.t. DDoa`n bie^'t ddu+o+.c ha`nh ddo^.ng cua? Rat trong nha` kho (nhu+ dda~ la`m vo+'i mi`nh), co^ P dda~ cha.y ke^u ba?o ve^. R dda~ bi. ba('t qua? tang.

Youth Newspaper - (Aug 24)

Tuo^? tre newspaper reported that after the case, parents of the the company's female workers there had to come to the factory that night to escort their daughter home. The workers said that it was not hte first time they were insulted by the Korean experts as just before that incidents, another Korean expert forced 45 female workers to kneel on the company yard with hands up due to some defective finished products.

Meanwhile Taekwang Vina Company still closed its gate to the media that their leaders were not available.

The Worker - August 25, 1996 (excerpts of an interview with the victims)

Questioner: (to NTH) Can you tell us, after this took place, on the side of the company, what was their manner?

NTH. After this took place, the leadership of the company put forth their "separate condition" with me and P. The company agreed to compensate us in order to smooth over this matter. Two times they gave to me and to P, each of us, an envelope full of money in order to buy us off and smooth over the action of this expert Kim. But we refused. I answered them, we will not for money sell our dignity or our honor.

....

DP also said, "the night that this incident took palce, we were terrified. I and H, we cried fearfully, insistently with Mr. Kim for more than 10 minutes, but he wouldn't let us go. The actions of Kim are a crude assulat on our person, on the dignity of me, and of H, we being female workers for hire. This is not the first time that experts of Tae Kwan Company had dealt with Vietnamese workers in a bad fashion Just five months before, a female expert in a swering factory also tape over the mouth of a female worker because this person was talking during working hours, and then forced her to stand in front of hundreds of workers to be discgraced. And now coming to me and H... after this took place, the company wanted to let us stay home seven days with the reason of sick leave. We dont know what to say with our brothers and sisters, and we dare not to meeting anyone. H is terrified and cries immediately when anyone mentions this matter.

Ngu+o+`i Lao DDo^.ng, 25/8/1996

PV: Co^ co' the^? cho bie^'t sau khi xa?y ra su+. vie^.c, phi'a Cty dda~ co' tha'i ddo^. nhu+ the^' na`o?

NTH: Sau khi xa?y ra su+. vie^.c, phi'a la~nh dda.o Cty dda~ ra "ddie^`u kie^.n rie^ng" vo+'i em va` P. Co^ng ty cha^'p nha^.n bo^`i thu+o`ng dde^? gia^'u gie^'m vu. vie^.c. Hai la^`n ho. co' ddu+a em va` P mo^~i ngu+o+`i mo^.t phong bi` ddu+.ng tie^`n nha(m mua chuo^.c, la^'p lie^'m ha`nh vi cu+? chuye^n gia Kim. Nhu+ng bo.n em tu+` cho^'i. Em dda? tra? lo+`i vo+'i ho.: Chu'ng to^i kho^ng pha?i vi` tie^`n ma` ba'n danh du+., nha^n pha^?m cu?a mi`nh.

D.P cho bie^'t: "DDe^m xa?y ra vu. vie^.c , chu'ng em ra^'t so+.. Em va H dda~ kho'c lo'c na(n ni? o^ng Kim co' dde^'n mu+o+`i phu't ho+n, nhu+ng o^ng ta va^~n kho^ng cho chu'ng em ve^` Ha`nh ddo^.ng cu?a Kim la` su+. xa^m pha.m qua' tho^ ba.o dde^'n tha^n the^? danh du+. cu?a em va` H. -- nhu+~ng nu+? CN la`m thue^. DDa^y kho^ng pha?i la` la^`n dda^`u tie^n chuye^n gia o+? Cty Tae Kwang ddo^'i xu+? kho^ng to^'t ddo^'i vo+'i CN Vie^.t Nam. Ca'ch dda^y na(m tha'ng, mo^.t nu+~ chuye^n gia kha'c o+? xu+o+?ng may cu~ng dda~ tu+`ng da/n ba(ng keo gia^'y va`o mie^.ng mo^.t nu+~ CN vi` ngu+o+`i na`y no'i chuye^.n trong gio+` la`m vie^.c, ro^`i ba('t ddu+ng da^.y tru+o+'c ha`ng tra(m CN dde^? ho. nhu.c ... Ba^y gio+` dde^'n em va` H... Sau khi su+. vie^.c xa?y ra, Cty cho bo.n em nghi~ ba?y nga`y vo+'i ly' do "be^.nh". Chu'ng em kho^ng bie^'t no'i sao vo+'i anh chi. cu?a mi`nh, kho^ng gia'm ga(.p ai nu+~a. H. thi` ra^'t so+. va` kho'c khi co' ai dda? ddo^.ng dde^'n vu. vie^.c na`y.