Coca-Cola does a Nike and has been
availing themselves of the local right-wing
death squads' assistance in sorting out labour problems; this time, in
Colombia. Nothing like the disappearance of some trouble-making organiser,
their mutilated corpse later to be found in a sewer, to keep the employees
compliant and docile. Coca-Cola, however, denies involvement, saying that
the bottling plants aren't owned or operated by them (much like the Nike
factories, right?) Though, surely, if the plants have to meet a quality
standards to earn the valuable and tightly controlled Coca-Cola trademark
(and I doubt that Coca-Cola would want someone attaching their brand name
to bottles of muddy water), the parent company could equally insist that
they not torture or kill their employees, no?