At the time of the 2002 World Cup the Clean Clothes
Campaign and the Global March Against Child Labour released
the following joint statement
28 May 2002, the Clean Clothes Campaign and the Global
March Against Child Labour call upon FIFA and the sporting
goods industry to live up to their own promises and responsibilities
to make football a fair game, by giving adult workers better
working conditions and taking children out of work and into
schools.
We are deeply concerned about the sub-standard working
conditions of workers and the ongoing use of child labour
in the sporting goods industry. Some products made by sponsors
and licensees, using the FIFA and/or the 2002 World Cup
logos, are violating fundamental and other rights of workers.
In the past months, new research has been done on working
conditions in sportswear and football production in China,
India, Indonesia and Pakistan. The results are simply shocking.
The newly published reports show clear evidence of inhumane
working conditions. Such violations as the right to organise
and practice collective bargaining being suspended, forced
overtime work, discrimination against women, the use of
child labour and paying wages below the legal minimum or
wages which cannot meet the needs of the workers and their
families.
For copies of the full reports, please see: http://www.globalmarch.org/world-cup-campaign/
or http://www.cleanclothes.org/campaign.htm
Furthermore, the Clean Clothes Campaign and the Global
March Against Child Labour were appalled when FIFA declared
that they "cannot be held responsible for the labour
conditions in factories," in a letter sent to the Clean
Clothes Campaign, on April 16, 2002. This statement is in
clear contradiction to the standards set by FIFA, regarding
the labour rights for the production of its licensed goods.
Furthermore it negates the dialogue that FIFA has been maintaining
with civil society organisations and international agencies
in the recent past, especially with the Global March since
the launch of the World Cup Campaign 2002. FIFA should be
reminded that they have drafted their own code of conduct
in partnership with the international trade unions in 1996.
FIFA has also agreed to licensing contracts with companies
using FIFA and World Cup logos for their sportswear, footballs,
and other sporting goods, which include fundamental labour
rights set by the International Labour Organization (ILO)
and the model code established by the World Federation of
the Sports Goods Industry (WFSGI).
The statement from FIFA and the lack of willingness to
maintain an open dialogue with civil society groups on this
matter have alarmingly increased our concerns about the
implementation of FIFA's legal and social obligations to
the workers who produce FIFA licensed products and other
football related goods. FIFA, via FIFA Marketing AG, has
commercial interest in its contracts with companies using
the FIFA logo to generate billions in profit; it seems to
leave out questioning corporate social responsibility of
such companies.
The violations of the legal and social obligations of
both FIFA and the sporting goods industry towards the workers
and children cannot go on any longer. Therefore, we demand
that FIFA must:
FIFA, ILO, UNICEF, trade unions, and civil society organisations
have taken a step in the right direction by establishing
social protection projects and monitoring systems to prevent
and eliminate child labour in India and Pakistan. It has
been proven that change is possible, but they must be implemented
quicker and with a wider and more comprehensive scope.
The emphasis placed by FIFA on child labour in the implementation
of its code of conduct undermines the labour rights of all
their workers. We have yet to see a monitoring system that
addresses the labour standards set in the model code of
the WFSGI and/or in the FIFA licensing agreements. In a
series of country reports, we have found that children are
forced into work while their parents are not guaranteed
to earn enough to provide for the whole family. The elimination
of child labour is not possible simply by setting up non-formal
schools or by offering families grants for sending children
to schools. It will only be possible when all adult workers
are given full access to their rights, including: the freedom
of association and the exercise of their collective bargaining
powers, living wages, and healthy and safe working environment.
It would be a grave offense against the principles of FAIR-P(L)AY
if FIFA should keep giving business to sponsors and licensees
who violate the rights of their workers, while denying its
own responsibilities to "play fair." It is responsible
to ensure that all parties involved in the production of
football are treated with respect as human beings. How sporty
does it feel for the consumers and sports(wo)men to wear
a shirt or kick a ball with the FIFA logo that stands for
exploitation? Will the logos on the footballs and the licensed
goods of the 2002 FIFA World Cup shine to reflect a victory
for all the workers involved in the production of football?
The Clean Clothes Campaign and the Global March Against
Child Labour will closely follow FIFA and the sporting goods
industry over the coming weeks and months. We will report
any progress, and any lapses or shortcomings to the public
as they arise. We hope that the 2002 FIFA World Cup will
be the turning point to fully realise the demands made by
the World Cup Campaign 2002. We hope that FIFA, the ILO,
UNICEF, the international trade union network, and civil
society groups will soon be able to come together in an
open dialogue to establish a good code of conduct and a
transparent and effective monitoring system to bring an
end to child labour and to give fair working conditions
for all adult workers.
