Labour Behind The Label

Workers making Olympic sportswear for London 2012 for top brands and high street names including Adidas and Next are being paid poverty wages, forced to work excessive overtime and threatened with instant dismissal if they complain about working conditions, according to a new report.

Report into conditions of football stitches in China, India, Pakistan and Thailand. Released in June 2010, this report, produced by US labour rights group ILRF, shows that little has improved for workers in this notoriously exploitative indistry. Covering 7 factories producing for some of the biggest sportswear brands including Nike, Umbro and adidas the research showed that child labour is stil being used, that most of the workers are on temprary contracts and over half were not earning the living wage.

New research into soccer ball stitching for sports giants Adidas, Umbro, and Nike has found alarming reports of illegally low pay, child labour, and temporary contracts leaving workers vulnerable. This comes just months after the Playfair 2012 Campaign launched demands to Olympic sportswear suppliers Adidas, Nike and Pentland to eliminate short- term contracts in their supply chains and pay workers a living wage.

One of LBL's series of occasional briefings, this covers the garment industry in China. China is now the world's biggest exporter of textiles and garments. Its factories supply almost all UK high street shops and its market share is predicted to increase over the coming years. This briefing provides an overview of the Chinese garment industry, the situation for garment workers and recent developments influencing the sector.

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.