Saturday, June 12, 2010


INTERNATIONAL LABOUR:
SWEATSHOPS AND SOCCER:




It's day 2 of the World Cup in South Africa, and ties seem to be the order of the day. Yesterday it was Mexico/South Africa 1/1. Today it's Britain/USA also 1/1. No clear winners here. behind the scenes, however, there are definite losers...the workers in east and south Asia who work in brutal sweatshops manufacturing the soccer balls used in the games. It seems that there is more wrong with these balls than just poor aerodynamics. Here's the story and an appeal from the Clean Clothes Campaign.

ALALALALALALAL
Soccer Ball Stitchers Need Your Support!
Make your voice be heard today to put pressure on FIFA. New research reveals that workers stitching soccer balls in Pakistan, India, China and Thailand continue to experience alarming labour rights violations.

Problems highlighted in the report are:

•child labour still exists in the Pakistani industry especially within home-based work.
•gender discrimination of female home-based workers, being paid the least and facing the constant thread of losing their jobs due to pregnancy;
•overtime working hours as in one Chinese factory, where workers were found to work up to 21 hours a day every day for an entire month;
•the lack of proper drinking water or medical care facilities, and even toilets, as found in Indian stitching centres.
About 75% of the over 200 workers interviewed in Pakistan were not permanent workers and therefore didn’t have access to benefits and social security.

Over the past decade, regular reports of violations of human rights in soccer ball production have been presented to key players in the industry including global brands and FIFA.

The CCC is shocked that after all of these years, low wages and other labour rights violations are still the norm and not the exception in the industry. Please remind FIFA that they are responsible for their sport, and that as fans worldwide get excited about the games, the public expects the soccer ball industry to finally live up to its promises.

Send a letter to FIFA now!
Thanks for your support.
ALALALALALALAL

THE LETTER:

Please go to this link to read more and to send the following letter to Joseph Blatter, President of FIFA
ALALALALALALAL
Dear Sir,

On June 7th, 2010 the International Labour Rights Forum released a detailed report "Missed the Goal for Workers: the Reality of Soccer Ball Stitchers" highlighting industry wide labour rights violations. In particular, ILRF's research identified some FIFA licensees in Pakistan with connections to child labour, poverty wages and extensive use of temporary labourers.

The research shows that child labour still exists in the Pakistani industry especially within home-based work. Other problems highlighted in this report are gender discrimination of female home-based workers, being paid the least and facing the constant thread of losing their jobs due to pregnancy; overtime working hours as in one Chinese factory, where workers were found to work up to 21 hours a day every day for an entire month; lack of proper drinking water or medical care facilities, and even toilets, as found in Indian stitching centres. About 75% of the over 200 workers interviewed in Pakistan were not permanent workers and therefore didn't have any access to benefits and social security.

Over the past decade, regular reports of violations of human rights in soccer ball production have been presented to key players in the industry including global brands and FIFA.

I am shocked that after all of these years, low wages and other labour rights violations are still the norm and not the exception in the industry. I believe FIFA is responsible for their sport, and that as fans worldwide get excited about the games, the public expects the soccer ball industry to finally live up to its promises.

Sincerely,

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thank Pat.
I have sent the letter.
Bravo!
Ciao
Sabrino