An Eleven Year Olds Understanding of Nike

Note: The following letter appeared in Saturday Night magazine, printed in Toronto. This 11-year-old author understands more about economics than many college professors. She also has a lot of understanding about ethics. We feel priviledged to be able to include her eloquent statement on our web site. One slight correction is in order. While it is quite true that Nike has begun to make shoes in Vietnam, the company has not yet pulled out of Indonesia. It has, however, threatened to shut down its operations in that country. The reason? The minimum wage in Indonesia recently was raised to the equivalent of U.S. $2.46 a DAY!!! Nike, which makes billions of dollars a year, said that, with the new minimum wage, Indonesia "may be pricing itself out of the market."

Cheapskates

I am eleven years old and in grade six. My class has been studying human rights. I know almost your whole April issue is on how fabulous Nike is ("Hockey Nike in Canada" by Bruce Grierson), but let me tell you about another issue that could fill up a magazine all on its own. Does Saturday Night know where Nike used to set up its factories? Indonesia. Nike has recently moved to Vietnam because the workers in Indonesia wanted more money. They only got twenty-eight cents an hour, while Nike sells its shoes for $100 to $200. Does Saturday Night know why Nike is moving to Vietnam? Because in Vietnam Nike will pay ten cents an hour to the workers. I don't blame the workers for wanting more. My personal opinion is that Saturday Night's article shouldn't be on how great Nike is but on how cheap it is.

Manisha Kaur Gill
Surrey, British Columbia

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