"Adidas under pressure over collective bargaining", 27 January 2026

Trade unions in key Adidas supplier countries are co-ordinating action on labour standards and collective bargaining following [adidas'] withdrawal from sectoral agreements in Germany.

Around 30 union representatives from Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Myanmar, alongside delegates from German union IGBCE, recently met in Tangerang, Indonesia, to examine how labour standards are applied across Adidas’ global supply chain.

It comes amid growing concern over Adidas’ decision to withdraw from sectoral collective bargaining in Germany last September, a move unions describe as unexpected and damaging to long-standing social partnerships.

IGBCE executive board member Alexander Bercht told delegates that repeated efforts to persuade Adidas to return to collective bargaining had failed and that management had not responded to demands to begin negotiations on a domestic agreement...

Ahead of the meeting, IndustriALL general secretary Atle Høie wrote to Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden calling on the company to restore its collective bargaining commitments in Germany and uphold international labour standards.

IndustriALL has also urged Adidas to join the ACT initiative, which promotes living wages and collective bargaining in the garment and footwear industry...Adidas has declined to participate.

Delegates also raised concerns about Adidas’ continued sourcing from Myanmar...

To strengthen oversight of labour rights, wages and environmental standards, unions agreed to establish an international Adidas network under IndustriALL’s umbrella...

Ecotextile News has approached Adidas for comment.