ASICS slammed for backing factory that jailed unionist and denies basic rights

Global sportswear giant ASICS is facing international condemnation for backing a Cambodian supplier factory that fabricated criminal charges to jail a union leader for six months and forcing 20,000 workers to continue enduring abuses. 

Chea Chan, a father of three and former mechanic at Wing Star Shoes, was violently arrested without a warrant at the ASICS supplier in early 2024. He spent six months in prison on charges later ruled baseless by the Cambodian Appeals Court, which confirmed that the factory’s management had filed a police complaint against him without any real evidence - a clear act of retaliation for Chan’s efforts to form its first independent union.

Chan’s imprisonment devastated his family, forcing them into debt and stripping them of their home. “I had to lie to our three children, telling them their father was working in Thailand—when in reality he was in prison for defending workers’ rights,” said Chan’s wife. 

ASICS has refused to provide Chan with compensation for the harm to his health and the deep financial losses his family suffered, during his six month imprisonment, more than a year after his release.

After Chan’s false imprisonment, fear has silenced the workforce, in part because the factory management continues to punish him by keeping him confined at work and segregated from the larger workforce. Workers say the Ministry of Labour—aligned with factory management—harassed other union members to deter organising. Today, 20,000 mostly women workers report that they endure extreme heat while working with toxic glues, illegal overtime, and denial of sick leave—even to pregnant women with medical notes—while earning little more than $1 an hour.

ASICS publicly claims to uphold human rights, but its own record tells another story. The company falsely insisted that Wing Star had not filed charges against Chan, despite court documents proving the factory initiated the case—even after the prosecutor admitted there was no evidence. ASICS also cited the existence of five unions at Wing Star as proof of freedom of association, yet workers report these are employer-controlled “yellow unions” that automatically enroll employees and deduct wages without consent.

A spokesperson from the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU), said: “Chan continues being punished by the ASICS factory: he has been forced to work in an isolated outbuilding and denied the ability to engage with other workers. He has not been reinstated to his old job, and he said this to ASICS auditors six months ago but nothing has changed. It is clear that they will not respect any of the workers’ rights unless ASICS does something.”

Niki Gamara, from Clean Clothes Campaign, said: “In other cases where this has happened, brands have ensured that compensation is paid to workers. In another case in Cambodia during the pandemic, a worker called Soy Sros was imprisoned over a Facebook post and she rightfully received compensation for such a brutal abuse of her rights. Chan was imprisoned for even longer, but ASICS are refusing to ensure that he receives this money, it’s very cruel.” 

Sarah Newell, from US-based Partners for Dignity & Rights, said: “In the United States, ASICS presents itself as a brand rooted in discipline, integrity, and athletic excellence. But behind the marketing, the workers who make ASICS shoes are denied even the most fundamental rights. There is a stark gap between the image the company sells and the reality of its supply chain, and it’s important that US consumers understand this”.

A spokesperson from the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), in Cambodia said: "The issue of yellow unions is well documented in Cambodia. Their prevalence challenges the ability of independent unions to operate. Yellow unions undermine the fundamental right of Freedom of Association for Cambodian workers because it allows factory management to claim that it already has unions and shop stewards when they do not. For the majority of workers at Wing Star, most of which are women, seeing a man violently arrested at work and sent to jail sends a clear retaliatory message: do not organise, do not come together in support of your rights, do as you’re told - or face the same treatment."

Wing Star Shoes—owned by Taiwanese firm New Star Shoes—has a long record of labour violations while producing for ASICS. In 2013, a ceiling collapse at the factory killed two workers, including a child. Though ASICS pledged reforms after public outcry, watchdogs say the promises proved hollow. 

Despite this record, ASICS, also the owner of Onitsuka Tiger, declared record profits in May 2025. Just weeks earlier, it launched the ASICS Foundation, vowing to “respect human rights and contribute to the well-being of every person working in our supply chain.” Yet the company still refuses to compensate Chan for the estimated $70,000 in losses that he suffered due to imprisonment on baseless accusations by ASICS’ supplier, or to address the systemic abuses endured by 20,000 Cambodian workers making its shoes.

Clean Clothes Campaign calls on ASICS to properly compensate Chan for this outrageous violation of his basic rights, reinstate him to his original role, and ensure that freedom of association is fully respected at Wing Star shoes so workers are free to organise.