In February 2018, affiliated Participating Companies Nike Inc. and Under Armour Inc. requested that the Fair Labor Association conduct a safeguards investigation at the factory New Holland Apparel de Nicaragua, S.A. The brands requested that the FLA engage an independent expert to investigate allegations of violations of freedom of association — particularly with regard to the dismissal of a union leader who had employment protection — as well as of other labor standards.
To conduct the Safeguards investigation, the FLA engaged two highly-experienced experts on labor standards, Ena Lilian Nuñez MancÃa and Katya Castillo, pursuant to detailed Terms of Reference drafted by the FLA with the concurrence of the two brands. The experts traveled to Nicaragua to conduct the investigation. Field activities included two full days of interviews, meetings, and a review of documents at the factory on March 21 and 22.