Asics Corp. is overhauling its oversight of suppliers in Cambodia and
plans to compensate families of two workers who died in a
recent accident there, according to a report in
the Wall Street Journal.
Ron Pietersen, Asics's senior general
manager in its global legal and compliance division, told the Journal
that as a result of the
Cambodia accident, Asics has instructed its nine supplier factories in
the country to join Better Factories Cambodia, a program backed by the
United Nations that monitors factories, reports on its findings and
offers training for factories and workers. Before the accident, only
three of Asics's factory partners participated in the voluntary program
He said recent accidents in Cambodia and Bangladesh have taught
Asics and other companies the importance of buildings' structural
integrity. Previously many audits, including those of Asics,
focused on working conditions.
Asics and the factory where the accident occurred will pay the families
of the dead workers based on 25 years of minimum-wage,
inflation-adjusted salary, David Welsh, Cambodia program director
for the Solidarity Center, a nongovernmental organization affiliated
with the U.S.-based AFL-CIO labor group, told the Journal.
The full article is here.
