fyi...
________________________________________________________
Chris Gibson
Associate Professor in Human Geography
Geoquest Research Centre
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Wollongong NSW 2522
[log in to unmask]
Ph: +61 2 4221 3448
Fax: +61 2 4221 4250
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ITUC Press <[log in to unmask]>
> To: ITUC Online <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Mon Aug 04 19:32:32 2008
> Subject: ITUC Online : Olympics: IOC Inaction on
> Labour Rights Shameful
>
> INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION
>
> ITUC Online
> 142/040808
>
> Olympics: IOC Inaction on Labour Rights Shameful
>
> International mobilization in 35 countries calls for
> positive action to clean up Olympic supply chains
>
> 4 August 2008, Hong Kong (ITUC OnLine): Campaigners
> in Hong Kong, backed by the Play Fair 2008 global
> coalition, have today confronted the International
> Olympic Committee for its failure to act on
> widespread exploitation of workers in the
> manufacture of Olympics-branded products.
>
> Convening today in front of the cultural center on
> the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade at 10.00 am for a day's
> worth of activities, including a photo moment and a
> speakers' corner, protesters will show the IOC that
> their lack of commitment to basic worker rights is
> unacceptable.
>
> "Five years have passed since we first called on the
> IOC to stand up for the workers who make Olympics
> products, but it is still business as usual for
> them. Once again, money is pouring in to the
> coffers of the Olympics movement, but the workers
> who create the wealth are still being ripped off,"
> said Guy Ryder, general secretary of the 168-million
> member International Trade Union Confederation, a
> Play Fair partner organization.
>
> A clear "road map" of concrete steps that the IOC
> needs to take to live up to its responsibility to
> prevent labour rights violations in Olympic supply
> chains has widespread support, yet the IOC has
> refused to take action.
>
> According to Play Fair 2008 activists, in the
> streets of Hong Kong today to raise awareness of the
> IOC's continued stonewalling on the issue of
> workers' rights, the IOC has refused to commit staff
> or resources to constructively follow up on the many
> outstanding issues - including poverty wages, child
> labour and excessive overtime - shown to exist in
> Olympic supply chains.
>
> "Instead of acting properly on the reports by Play
> Fair, which gave clear evidence of the labour
> violations, the IOC simply passed the buck to the
> Beijing organizers, leaving the root problems
> unsolved," said Esther de Haan, from the Clean
> Clothes Campaign.
>
> "The IOC is out of sync with the spirit of the
> Olympic movement; around the world many
> organizations and individuals have spoken out on
> dozens of occasions during the past year about the
> importance of having the IOC deal with these
> issues. The IOC should be a leader, not a laggard,"
> said Laiha Cheung, general secretary of the Hong
> Kong Clothing Industry, Clerical & Retail Trade
> Employees General Union.
>
> Play Fair's research into factories in China
> producing Olympics merchandise revealed numerous
> violations of international labor standards and
> Chinese law. Excessive overtime, poverty wages and
> poor working conditions remain common in the Olympic
> products and sportswear factories. The IOC never
> followed up properly on the 2007 report and has not
> taken any action to make sure that Olympic-branded
> products would not be made with sweatshop labour.
> For a full list of the organizations calling upon
> the IOC to take action, see playfair2008.org
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=42>
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=42>
> .
>
> While the IOC has failed to act, companies in the
> sector are showing signs of recognizing the extent
> of the problem and the failure of traditional
> corporate social responsibility. At a meeting in
> Hong Kong, at the beginning of July, Play Fair
> organizations and sportswear companies agreed to
> form a working group to address some of the root
> causes of bad labour conditions in the sector.
> Also, some national Olympic Committees are willing
> to work on the issue. The IOC is very clearly
> lagging behind and has taken no steps to address the
> labour conditions in their supply chain. See
> "Leading sports brands, unions, NGOs form working
> group."
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=122&Itemid=43>
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=122&Itemid=43>
>
> "The IOC needs to set the pace, not be a perpetual
> laggard, leaving workers open to exploitation and
> abuse when they are making Olympics products," said
> Neil Kearney, general secretary of the International
> Textile, Leather and Garment Workers' Federation.
> "The opportunity to make real change around the
> Beijing Games has gone; we will continue our
> campaign until the day that the IOC faces up to its
> responsibilities."
>
> PHOTOS
> High resolution photos of today's action are
> downloadable from:
> http://www.playfair2008.org/photos/
>
> MOVING IMAGES
>
> From the Thai Labour Campaign & CCC (Workers'
> Olympics 2004
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nclg_znobM>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nclg_znobM> )
>
> Catch the flame video: here
> <http://www.youtube.com/user/catchtheflame>
> <http://www.youtube.com/user/catchtheflame> & here
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfiCruwaGEI>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfiCruwaGEI>
>
> Fila be fair to workers at Tae Hwa, Indonesia
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq2Du5KAzzE&feature=related>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq2Du5KAzzE&feature=related>
>
> Nike and their dealings with sweatshops
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgl7vDZ-jF8&feature=related>
> <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgl7vDZ-jF8&feature=related>
>
> BACKGROUND INFORMATION
>
> ˇ Play Fair's road map
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=123&Itemid=43>
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=123&Itemid=43>
> for the IOC
>
> ˇ Play Fair 2008 research report
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/docs/playfair_2008-report.pdf>
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/docs/playfair_2008-report.pdf>
> on working conditions in factories producing Olympic
> logo goods
>
> An update on the four Chinese factories profiled
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/docs/Prodction_of_Olympics_sponsored_goods.pdf>
> <http://www.playfair2008.org/docs/Prodction_of_Olympics_sponsored_goods.pdf>
>
> ˇ For additional info, see
> www.playfair2008.org and www.catchtheflame.org
>
> INTERNATIONAL CONTACTS:
> * Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) International
> Secretariat
> Esther de Haan: Tel. +31 20 412 27 85 (office) or
> +31 642 24 31 53 (mobile)
>
> * International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
> Kristin Blom, Campaigns Officer
> Tel. +32 487 38 44 91 (mobile) (Kristin will be
> difficult to reach during
> August 1st due to long-distance traveling)
>
> * International Textile, Leather and Garment
> Workers' Federation (ITGLWF)
> Neil Kearney, General Secretary
> Tel. +32 2 512 2606 (office) or + 32 475932487
> (mobile)
>
> HONG KONG CONTACTS:
>
> ˇ TUC/GUF/HKCTU Hong Kong Liaison Office
> Dominique Muller
> 852-35422614 (office) / 61104096 (mobile)
>
> Staphany Wong
> 852-35422614 (office) / 93732744 (mobile)
>
> ˇ Hong Kong Clothing Industry, Clerical &
> Retail Trade Employees General Union
> Laiha Cheung, General Secretary
> 852-27708668 (office) / 93084848 (mobile)
>
> ˇ Clean Clothes Campaign (representative in
> Hong Kong)
> Michaela Königshofer
> 852-93475234
>
> The ITUC represents 168 million workers in 155
> countries and territories and has 311 national
> affiliates. Website: http://www.ituc-csi.org
>
> For more information, please contact the ITUC Press
> Department on: +32 2 224 0210.
>
|