Olympics merchandise made using exploited labour
Sunday, 10 June 2007 16:40
New research published today (Monday) shows that licensed goods bearing the logo of the 2008 Beijing games have been made in factories where child labour and gross exploitation are rife.
As members of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) gather in London for a progress report on the 2012 games, the report – No Medal for the Olympics – finds evidence of children as young as 12 years old, adults earning 14p per hour (half the legal minimum wage in China), and employees made to work up to 15 hours per day, seven days a week producing Olympic merchandise.
Download the full report (pdf 1.4Mb) >>
Read our briefing on the Chinese garment industry >>
Detailed research undertaken inside China by Playfair 08 – represented in the UK by the TUC and Labour Behind the Label - into working conditions in four factories making 2008 Olympic bags, headgear, stationery and other products reveals that factory owners are falsifying employment records, and forcing workers to lie about their wages and conditions.
With 1872 days to go until the London Olympics, campaigners at a meeting in Parliament will call on the organisers of the 2012 games to act now to make sure that their own licensed goods are not made with similar violations of workers’ rights. Playfair 08 has expressed concern that workers' rights could be jeopardised by the pressure to keep overall Games costs down.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
"Children and adult workers are being grossly exploited so that unscrupulous employers can make more profit. Their actions tarnish the Olympic ideal, and we don’t want more of the same when the Olympics come to London. The IOC must add respect for workers’ rights to the Olympic charter.”
Maggie Burns, Chair of Labour Behind the Label, said:
"The London Olympics has just spent £400,000 on a logo. There is no reason why organisers cannot ensure a ‘sweat-free’ games, if they act now. Previous games have tried and failed to safeguard workers' rights. If London is to raise the bar, it will need to be creative and ambitious, but it will also need to put enough resources in place."
Guy Ryder, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, said:
"We warned the IOC at the time that failure to take the necessary action on labour standards would lead to situations such as those identified in the report, bringing lasting damage to the name and reputation of the Olympic movement. Unfortunately, our call has been ignored. This must not happen again."
