Catholic Online Forum

Workers at a Nike shoe factory in Indonesia say the company paid military personnel to intimidate them into working for less than the minimum wage.

After millions of workers went on strike last year in Indonesia over low pay and cost of living increases, the government lifted wage rates.

But workers at the Nike factory in the west Java city of Sukabumi say they were made to sign a petition supporting the factory's claim to be exempt from paying the new wage.

If the factory gets an exemption, the employees will get paid $3.70 a day instead of $4.

Activists say that after rent and transport to work, it is only enough to afford one meal.