NO MEDAL FOR THE OLYMPICS ON LABOUR RIGHTS:

The Clean Clothes Campaign, the International Trade Union Confederation and the International Textile,Leather and Garment Workers' Federation have come together to produce a report and initiate a campaign around the issue of workers' rights for those producing products for the upcoming 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Ever since the 2004 Olympics in Athens the Playfair Coalition of the three organizations above have tried to get the IOC to put workers' rights standards into the Olympics supply chain contracts with no success. The IOC imposes strict conditions on licensees, but these do not include the observation of decent fundamental labour standards.

As we speak factories in China are forcing their workers to work 12 hour shifts for 30 days at a time, with often forced overtime to increase this already exhausting schedule. Some workers are being paid at half the legal minimum wage, and the working conditions are often dangerous and unsanitary. Children as young as 12 years of age are being employed in these factories. The Playfair 2008 coalition has managed to carry out investigations into four factories in China that produce Olympic goods, Mainland Headwear Holdings Inc., Eagle Leather products, Lekit Stationary Co. and Cheong Light products. Lee Cheuk Yan of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions has said,

"The IOC's refusal to ensure internationally recognized core labour standards on freedom of association at Olympic licensed factories is in direct conflict with the Olympic spirit of free competition. The horrendous conditions faced by Chinese workers working on Olympic products puts the IOC and the Chinese government to shame."

Most of China, of course, lacks freedom of association so that workers face insurmountable difficulties in union organization. The IOC is projected to make about $70 million US in income from licensing of products for the 2008 Beijing games. This excludes broadcast rights, sponsorship deals, ticket sales and the sale of other Olympic related material.

You can see what this coalition for workers' rights around Olympic production is all about and see how you can help at the group's website. To download a copy of their report go to http://www.playfair.org/docs/playfair_2008-report.pdf .