A colossal difference exists between IKEA laborers in Sweden and Virginia:
Vacation Days Per Year Salary Per Hour IKEA workers in Sweden 5 weeks off $19/hour IKEA workers in America 4 days off selected by workers, 8 days selected by management $8/hour
But some IKEA employees work for even lower wages and have no benefits, as IKEA draws one-third of its workers from temporary-staffing agencies. These conditions have caused Bill Street, who tried to organize IKEA workers with the machinists union, to say that it’s “ironic that Ikea looks on the U.S. and Danville the way that most people in the U.S. look at Mexico.” http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/11/ikea-thwarts-unions/
Furniture giant IKEA criticised after women and girls were airbrushed out of its Saudi Arabian catalogue.
Last Modified: 01 Oct 2012 16:08
Sweden's Metro newspaper showed that women had been airbrushed out of the company's Saudi catalogue [AP]
Swedish furniture giant IKEA has landed itself in hot water in its home country after women and girls were airbrushed out of some of the pictures in its Saudi Arabian catalogue.
A local version of IKEA's yearly catalogue, published on its Saudi website, shows images that are identical to those in other editions save for one detail: the women are gone.
"We are looking into the issue and holding a dialogue with our Saudi franchise holder," said Ulrika Englesson Sandman, a spokesperson for Inter IKEA Systems, which owns the IKEA trademark and concept.
When entering a new market the company always takes into account the ability to balance local culture and legislation with its own values, she added.
Gender gap
The removal of women from the pages of the Saudi edition, including a young girl who was pictured studying at her desk, has prompted a strong response from Swedes, who pride themselves on egalitarian policies and a narrow gender gap.
"You can't remove or airbrush women out of reality. If Saudi Arabia does not allow women to be seen or heard, or to work, they are letting half their intellectual capital go to waste," Ewa Bjoerling, the trade minister, said in a statement.
Her sentiment was echoed by Swedish European Union minister Birgitta Ohlsson, who branded the incident "medieval" on social networking site Twitter.
Saudi Arabia applies strict rules of gender segregation, banning women from driving and requiring them to have permission from a male guardian before travelling or receiving medical care.
IKEA's Saudi franchise partner currently operates three stores in the country, where it has seen "double digit" yearly growth over the past five years, according to its website.
Ecologists say Swedish furniture giant is cutting wood from ancient forests in northwestern Russia.
Last Modified: 01 Jul 2012 10:53
A new report by the Global Forest Coalition says IKEA has been using wood from an ancient forest in northwestern Russia.
IKEA says it is an enviromentally responsible company, but there are claims the Swedish furniture giant's logging subsidiary, Swedwood, may be operating double standards.
Al Jazeera's Robin Forrestier-Walker reports from Karelia, Russia.
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