Nike: There Is A Gap Between China'S Labor Law And International Standards.

Nike (Nike), a global shoe giant, said in a report that, because of the "gap" in China's labor law, Nike workers in the Chinese industry factory could not enjoy the same protection as other national employees.

In its first report on corporate social responsibility in China, Nike said: "we appreciate the important measures taken by the Chinese government to increase the protection of employee rights."

Nike has 180 cooperative factories in China, which employ 210 thousand employees.

"However, if the Chinese labor law and the International LabourOrganisationConvention stipulate the basic protection of employees, the protection enjoyed by Chinese employees is still different from those of other countries."

This report is part of Nike's measures to enhance its pparency in China before the Beijing Summer Olympics this year.

35% of the company's footwear is purchased from China.

Nike also hinted that although China started to implement the new labor contract law this year, the existing labor protection mechanism in China is still lagging behind the standards set by the International Labour Organization.

"We encourage all governments to recognize and respect the principles of freedom of association and collective bargaining contained in ILO conventions eighty-seventh and ninety-eighth," the report said.

The report did not specifically list China.

Nike is an early supporter of the labourcontractlaw, which enhances the collective bargaining power of employees.

Hannah Jones, vice president of social responsibility at Nike (HannahJones), said: "We support this law because we think it is a good thing."

All China Federation ofTradeUnions, the only trade union approved by the Chinese government, has representatives in about half of Nike's foundry factories in China.

The rights activists hope that the new labor contract law can help establish more independent trade union organizations in those enterprises that have not been represented by the all China Federation of trade unions.