Beijing Olympics faces child labour claims
Monday, 11 Jun 2007 08:28
Beijing 2008 will set the standard for London 2012
Chinese firms producing merchandise for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are using unfair and immoral child labour, a report claims.
The Playfair Alliance, an international organisation linked in the UK to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), reveals four factories in China producing headgear, stationery, bags and other merchandise are unfairly treating their workforce.
The report alleges that workers are paid less than 50 per cent of the Chinese minimum wage to work in conditions lacking appropriate health and safety standards. Forced overtime, gagging orders and fines totalling one month's wages for resignation are imposed on employees, it claims.
Guy Ryder, general secretary of the International Trade Union Federation, said: "We warned the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the time that failure to take the necessary action on labour standards would lead to situations such as those identified in the report, bringing lasting damage to the name and reputation of the Olympic movement.
"Unfortunately, our call has been ignored. This must not happen again."
The report calls on the IOC to investigate their claims and says it should incorporate respect for workers' rights in the Olympic charter and its code of ethics.
Such an introduction in the run-up to the 2012 London Games would help British employees, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber believes.
"Children and adult workers are being grossly exploited so that unscrupulous employers can make more profit. Their actions tarnish the Olympic ideal, and we don't want more of the same when the Olympics come to London," he said.