Playfair 2012 campaign – take action for workers supplying the Olympics
As part of our campaign to end the exploitation of workers in global supply chains, War on Want is supporting the Playfair 2012 Campaign. Playfair is a UK coalition of trade unions and labour rights organisations fighting for the rights of workers making sportswear for the London 2012 Olympics.
Millions of workers across the world are involved in making Olympic kits and souvenirs that are being sold in the UK. But this massive industry is built on the exploitation of garment workers, most of whom are women.
Research from the international campaign Playfair 2008 found workers in China employed by Adidas suppliers facing 80-hour weeks stitching footballs. Other workers making sports shoes, which sell for up to £50 a pair, were earning as little as £20 per month, well below a living wage. Adidas is one of London 2012’s main sponsors and licensees. In another factory producing official stationery, children as young as 12 years old were being forced to work 15 hours a day.
The Playfair 2012 campaign is calling on the UK government to ensure that the principles of Decent Work are applied across Olympic supply chains. Decent Work is based on the principles of freedom, equality, security and dignity. It ensures that workers receive a living wage, benefits such as sick and maternity pay and are freely able to join a trade union. By providing stable, fairly paid jobs with strong health and safety standards, Decent Work gives workers the opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty.
- Take action now to call on official Olympic suppliers (Adidas, Nike and Pentland) to end the exploitation of workers in their supply chains.
- To find out more about the campaign and to get involved, please click here.
