Pakistani Women Were Paid $100 a Month to Make the $160 Adidas World Cup Soccer Balls

[FalconsForPeace]

Every FIFA World Cup comes with a new winner, a new theme song, and of course a new official match ball.
This year’s soccer ball is the Adidas “Brazuca” (slang for “Brazilian”), and it features a beautiful multi-colored design.
These balls are a whopping $159.99 each; meanwhile, the Pakistani women who assembled them were paid 10,000 Pakistani rupees, or $101.73, per month.
That’s less than the price of a single ball for an entire month’s salary.
10,000 rupees is actually the minimum wage in Pakistan — compared to the $325.69 per month minimum wage in Brazil and about $1,160 per month in the U.S.
While 10,000 rupees goes a long way in Pakistan, where the unemployment rate is six percent, Adidas could surely afford to pay more for such a lofty undertaking.
Is international labor cheap because that’s just the way it is, or can big businesses lead the charge in raising international wages and workplace standards?
Pakistan’s Forward Sports factory reportedly produced 100 balls per hour — that’s roughly $16,000 an hour in profit.
According to the Latin Post, 90 percent of those who crafted the balls were women. They wore veils in the production line, took about 40 minutes to complete a single ball.
Pakistan is proud to have manufactured the Brazuca.
“It was a matter of great pride that the World Cup [soccer balls] were provided by a Pakistani company, giving Pakistan a connection with the global contest,” Brazilian Ambassador Alfredo Leoni said.
And producing balls for the World Cup was a dream come true for factory owner Khawaja Akhtar, who was once just a poor cobbler repairing punctured footballs for colonial-era Brits, according to local legend.
While the pay may seem slim, the Latin Post reports that the women are treated well at the factory, and it’s a place that generally empowers its workers.
Many of the women at Forward Sports are the first in their families to have jobs. They also receive life insurance and transportation, according to the Dhaka Tribune.
“We take unskilled workers and train them. This is a job that is not available anywhere else. You have to get someone with good attitude and train them,” Akhtar said.
Now that you’re beginning to feel a bit better about these women and their tedious jobs, keep in mind that there’s no doubt that companies like Adidas are still exploiting the use of cheap labor in developing countries.
And there’s no doubt that well-off Western companies have the power to come together to raise wages and workplace conditions for people around the world.
It’s time to raise the international standard and do away with the injustice the consumer industry is built on.

Pakistani Women Were Paid $100 a Month to Make the $160 Adidas World Cup Soccer Balls | RYOT News

 

[PlanetWarrior]

FIFA and the sports industrialists such as Adidas are nothing more than a bunch of rip offs. Most countries which host the world cup end up with huge stadiums which become white elephants. The only beneficiary is FIFA which rakes in billions from the host nation. A parasitic relationship no different from the exploitation by Adidas of these poor women

 

[Leader]

pathetic... !!