Brandfirms BlackBook.

[Negative]

Can you imagine having to work 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for 24 Eurocents (25 Dollarcents) an hour?
If you'd work in the Tung Tat Garment Factory in China, you would. Chinese sewers manufacture Adidas-equipment in that factory.

That is just one of hundreds of anecdotes in Austrian journalist Klaus Werner and his German colleague Hans Weiss' book 'Schwarzbuch Markenfirmen' (Brandfirms BlackBook). The facts in this book aren't new; 'This is a book to piss off its readers, to kick them a conscience', says Weiss.

Fifty multi-nationals are aimed in their study: from Adidas to Chicco, from Hilfiger to Levi's, from Nike to Shell.

The top three: Bayer ('import of raw materials from war-area's, finance of unethical medical tests, obstruction of the dispersal of cheap Aids-drugs, sales of dangerous pesticides'), TotalFinaElf ('active everywhere where there is oil and human rights are being violated: Myanmar, Sudan, Angola, Nigeria'), and the usual suspect: McDonald's ('environmental damage, exploitation of Chinese children in the creation of Happy Meal-toys').

Werner and Weiss went undercover in both Congo and Eastern-Europe.
In Congo, they ended up in the forgotten war: the war for coltran (substance needed for cellular phones) ("We see people jump out of the WTC-towers live on CNN. In Africa, there ain't no camera's, although three million people died there.") Bayer is the world's largest coltran-importer.

Some other facts: at least 250 million children between FIVE and TWELVE are slaves: 12 million of them work in the 'export-business'. Under pressure of international movements, some multinationals have pushed their suppliers to not use children anymore. The result: their places are being taken by young adults, who get paid the same as those children. The consequence: they don't make enough money to supply thier children, who end up in the streets, begging for money. In Mali, you can buy a child for 25 Euros/25 USD. They're used to work from 6am to 9pm, 7 days a week, guarded by dogs. Way to go, Nestlé.

In Eastern-Europe, they found out that Bayer pays lots of money to clinics to use their patients for 'experiments'.

What really bothers me, is that Bayer boycots those cheap AIDS-drugs. IMO, that makes Bayer guilty of murder...mass-murder. I'm all for capitalism, and I don't like those 'anti-globalism'-movements (although I lub Manu Chao ), but what Bayer is doing here, is way off...

What we need, imo, is world-wide union movements (although I have something against unions): we need to 'export' the syndical movements we had some 100 years ago to the third world (if possible, unified in a global movement; hence the globalism). There's no real sense in fighting battles when the media ain't around anymore.

Some links:

Clean Clothes Campaign
Attac: the world is not for sale

[khakisrule]

Bayer ('import of raw materials from war-area's, finance of unethical medical tests, obstruction of the dispersal of cheap Aids-drugs, sales of dangerous pesticides')

Bayer makes advil right? Because I remember those 2 being put together in some dateline story because bayer used jewish prisoners during WWII for experimentation, which eventually lead to some popular drugs.

[NovaDaemon]

damn dude i wouldnt mind giving up $20 to a family if it could support them for a month.. i mean thats just bad... overpopulation will just make things worse...

[kitain]

Well Neg, that is the reality today. Human nature!
Good to spread the info though. Thanks for it.
I will look more in deep and post some material on local language BBS's back home.
We all should do at least our part of the concientization to our closest people.

Bye.

[~*Toxicmaniac*~]

damn *looks at new adidas watch that cost $75* y'all are making me feel guilty. and true Negative what kind of war would Desert storm be without the media...

[Terr]

I'd just like to say that even though many sweatshop workers earn a pitiful amount, the amount is probably not as small as it seems at first glance, given the local economy and costs of living.

[AngryBob]

i agree with Terr. Thats the going rate for labor there. if they were going to pay them US or Euro wages then they would put the factory there. I imagine without the factory they would have absoluetly nothing-which is why they work there.

[captfb]

Negative,
Worldwide Unions are the answer? I would rather focus on the infrastructure with each nation where these mass-murders happen. Then let unions or workers representative bodies in. Now, to compare the WTC attacks to the reported atrocities in Africa is highly illogical. First off the nature of both issues is totally different. All that is done with that comparison is to sensationalize and scapegoat an easy target. Such ad-hominem attacks are juvenile and cruel. It only shows the reader how weak and illogical the argument and comparisons are. That is of course my opinion.
Captfb

[allenb1963]

Agreed that the amount paid is not as bad as it looks due to the local economy, but that doesn't make it right either as it still keeps them WELL below the poverty level. Anyone actually seen the conditions these poor souls live under? MSNBC recently did an investigative report on the silk industry in India, and it showed positively despicable working conditions in factories staffed by children. Lets face it folks, we have it pretty good here in the western world and its easy to turn a blind eye towards these things. However, we all have a moral obligation to try to leave this world a better place than it was when we got here...so if takes not wearing Adidas (or whatever) to help get things lined out, so be it. I figure I'll get flamed off the map for that previous statement, but hey, thats the way I was raised....blame my dad on that one.

[Tedob1]

the idea of the world coming together through unions appeals to me more than globalization under corporate rule, especially since they can't find jimmy haffa. im sure a reasonable substitute could be found if need be.