Daily Headlines: July 28, 2010

* Nicaragua: Pressure from several universities and student organizations apparently led to the decision by Nike to pay over $1.5 million to a relief fund for laid off Honduran laborers.

* Cuba: Coming to a bookshelf near you – the memoirs of former Cuban ruler Fidel Castro.

* Ecuador: The government will reportedly introduce a series of reforms designed to increase state control over the country’s oil industry.

* Argentina: The country’s soccer federation dropped Diego Maradona as head coach of the men’s national team.

Image – Time
Online Sources- Reuters Canada, CNN, AFP, The Nation

University drops Nike over Honduran labor conditions

Controversy over athletic apparel companies allegedly exploiting workers in counties like Honduras has led some universities to cut their contracts with the firms like Russell Athletic. In the latest development the University of Wisconsin has taken strong steps against clothing giant Nike:

The University of Wisconsin canceled its licensing agreement with Nike Inc. on Friday, becoming the first university to take that step over concerns about the company's treatment of
workers in Honduras.

Chancellor Biddy Martin said Nike hasn't done enough to help workers collect severance payments they are owed at two factories that abruptly closed last year.

"Nike has not developed, and does not intend to develop, meaningful ways of addressing the plight of displaced workers and their families in Honduras," Martin said. "It has not presented clear long-range plans to prevent or respond to similar problems in the future. For this combination of reasons, we have decided to end our relationship for now."

New York University may be the next school to sever ties with Nike over a year after ending its agreement with Russell Athletic over Honduran labor conditions.

Image- Team Sweat
Online Sources- AP, The Latin Americanist, Washington Square News

Nike targeted for Honduran labor abuses

Several months ago, clothing manufacturer Russel Athletic (RA) was targeted by several university student groups after being accused of unfair labor practices in Honduras. The University of Minnesota, Cornell University, and Purdue University were some of the schools who cut ties with RA over allegations such as threatening workers who wanted to unionize.

Some students at the University of Washington who campaigned against RA have now set their sights on another clothing firm: Nike.

The student group that led a successful effort to end the University of Washington's apparel-licensing contract with the Russell Corp. is at it again -- this time protesting a contract with Nike.

The Student Labor Action Project organized a rally Thursday of nearly 100 people with banners, chants and bagpipes to march through campus and into the UW president's office. When they reached the door, they got an unexpected response: President Mark Emmert was out of the country...

SLAP and the national Workers Rights Consortium contend factory owners are withholding $1.5 million in severance payments to workers at two shut-down Honduran factories that produced, among other things, Nike apparel featuring UW logos...

Regarding the current case involving Nike, the UW advisory committee is waiting for a Workers Rights Consortium report on the two Honduran factories: Huggar de Honduras and Vision Tex. The committee's goal, Arkans said, is to get the $1.5 million in severance money to the laid-off workers.

Image- cnet news
Online Sources- seattlepi.com, The Latin Americanist