# Ikea 'regrets' forced labour use **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 17, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271 "2012-11-17T03:12:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4af34b/32.png) [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeke_N.Destroi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/1 "2012-11-17T03:12:56Z")
[Well that’s mighty white of you.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20356945) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/2 "2012-11-17T03:14:54Z")
[A more direct link](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20356945) ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/3 "2012-11-17T03:19:34Z")
> [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](#): > > [Well that’s mighty white of you.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20356945) You’re pitting them, which I guess means you’re not satisfied with their statement of regret. What did you have in mind? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/4 "2012-11-17T06:06:16Z")
…Regrets it all the way to the bank! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/5 "2012-11-17T07:02:54Z")
Well it did take place from the 60’s to the 80’s so 24 to 44 years ago. Current management at IKEA is going to pay those people now. So it is really nice of them. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/6 "2012-11-17T07:14:19Z")
How much harder is it to manufacture cheap wood furniture than it is to produce license plates and clean up litter on the highway? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/7 "2012-11-17T07:24:24Z")
You know that the US government uses prison labor to make the helmets for the army? ---
**Author:** ![Reyemile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@Reyemile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reyemile)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/8 "2012-11-17T07:59:03Z")
> [@Zeke\_N.Destroi](#): > > [Well that’s mighty white of you.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20356945) Did you get to the part of the article where the spokesmen for the victims themselves said “Ikea has taken the lead on this, for which we are very grateful,”? Or did you just read the headline and make a half-formed half-assed all-stupid pit post? > [@Zebra](#): > > You know that the US government uses prison labor to make the helmets for the army? None of which is forced. They’re grossly underpaid, of course, but they’re prisoners and getting free room and board; they can opt out. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/9 "2012-11-17T08:36:47Z")
Isn’t IKEA’s whole business model based around their stuff being assembled by unpaid labor? ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/10 "2012-11-17T14:33:36Z")
Yeah. I have the “psychological and physical scars” to prove it. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/11 "2012-11-17T14:40:21Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Well it did take place from the 60’s to the 80’s so 24 to 44 years ago. Current management at IKEA is going to pay those people now. So it is really nice of them. QFT It wasn’t happening yesterday or some shit. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/12 "2012-11-17T14:53:25Z")
Is this because their stores are big, ugly blue and yellow boxes? Because if it is, I can behind that. OTherwise, a lot of shit happened in the past, and I kinda think the East German government should bear the bulk of the blame, if there is much. ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ikea-regrets-forced-labour-use/641271/13 "2012-11-17T15:32:57Z")
I think it’s highly improbable that Walmart, Target, Kmart, or any of the other hundred American retailers don’t have the same thing on their hands with forced labor in China.