In the UK, sportswear sales were estimated at £4.5 billion in 2010, with Adidas and Nike the global leaders, and Pentland (makers of Speedo) the largest UK-based brand. These household names will have a high profile at London 2012, and their sales and profits are predicted to rise as the Games approach.
Yet these are the brands who are routinely breaking every rule in the book when it comes to labour rights. Workers making sportswear still suffer poverty wages, excessive working hours, temporary contracts and unstable employment, and denial of union rights.
Wage gap fact
The minimum monthly wage in Indonesia is 972,604 rupiah (£67.26) yet a living wage sufficient to feed, clothe, shelter and educate a worker and her children is 1,868,650 rupiah (£129.22), roughly double the minimum wage. The minimum wage is rarely surpassed. This leaves garment workers struggling well below the poverty line.
Act Now
The Playfair 2012 campaign is working to raise the bar on these rights. Brands working under the Olympic banner of fairness, equality and respect should be doing more to end slavery and exploitation in the sportswear industry.
You can TAKE ACTION today to call on adidas, Nike and Pentland (makers of Speedo) to pay workers a living wage, respect union rights and ensure workers have job security.
Other ways to take action
- You can get involved by holding an information session with your group. Ready made presentations are available for you to use. You can also order resources such as action cards via our website.
- Are you a student? Playfair have developed an action pack to help you run a campaign in your university. We'd also love to come and hold an event with you. Please get in touch.
- Do you teach? Playfair have developed a teaching resource toolkit to enable you to get young people talking about the Olympics and workers rights. Follow this link.
