Labour Behind The Label

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.

The world's Football Associations will make over £200m from sponsorship and licensing arrangements this year, while their sponsors are expecting hundreds of millions of pounds in additional revenue from World Cup goods.

Meanwhile, the people stitching the footballs, sewing the shirts and glueing the boots that will earn this money are working late into the night, six or seven days a week, for poverty wages. Those that attempt to form trade unions to try to improve their working conditions are persecuted and often lose their jobs.  This report was produced in 2005 by Labour Behind the Label and the TUC.