The Beijing Olympics...Brought to you by Child Labor and other brutal labor conditions

Brussels, 7 June 2007: On the eve of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in London, a new report "No medal for the Olympics on labour rights " released today by the PlayFair 2008 campaign group exposes gross violations of basic labour standards by several Chinese factories supplying goods under license for the Beijing Olympics, including adult wages at half the legal minimum, employment of workers as young as 12 years old, and employees made to work 12-hour shifts seven days a week in unsafe and unhealthy conditions. With freedom of association banned in China, the workers lack any effective means to defend their rights.

PlayFair 2008 researchers carried out interviews and investigations in early 2007 in four factories making Olympics licensed bags, headgear, stationery and other products. The companies are Lekit Stationary Co, Mainland Headwear Holdings Ltd, Eagle Leather Products, and Yue Wing Cheong Light Products. The report also reveals labour rights violations such as forced overtime, workers being instructed to lie about wages and conditions to outside inspectors, poor health and safety conditions, workers required to work 30 days per month and employers falsifying employment records.

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"Children as young as 12 years old working 15 hours a day. Workers cheated of more than half their legal wages. All working till they drop making Beijing Olympics related products. This isn't sport! It begs the question if IOC actually means 'Ignoring Outrageous Conditions' rather than 'International Olympic Committee'", said ITGLWF General Secretary Neil Kearney.

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Prior to publishing the report, PlayFair 2008 sent a copy to the IOC at its Lausanne Headquarters, calling again for the IOC to adopt and implement effective mechanisms throughout Olympics licensing and supply contracts to ensure respect for fundamental labour standards. In the previous discussions between PlayFair and the IOC, the IOC rejected the Play Fair proposals, and to date has no effective mechanism at all to protect workers being exploited in Olympics-related production.

link:
http://www.playfair2008.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemid=65

Can't say I'm surprised by the report. :-(

In my opinion no country with such a horrible human rights record should EVER get the Olympics. They should only go to countries that can prove they do not engage in these practices. Which means they should not have been given to Moscow either back in 1980. I mean, the Olympics supposed have these high ideals but it sure isn't reflected in where they are actually held.

Chinese government is outrageously abusive of human and animal rights.

The percentage of things not made in China that we consume is smaller than one would think. Especially with this last food situation.

God this really sucks. I hate the Olympics for what it does to the environment. I think of the fuel used for the whole thing. It's a sin. But forcing children to work like slaves just makes it even sicker.


/unhappy day blog.

It's shameful that the world is going to China for the Olympics...

China's human rights violations are unacceptable. The country should boycott, and if not the country, then the individual athletes. WTF is the world coming to where people think this is acceptable?!?!

Too bad they can't bring their own air.

is China's blatant support of genocide. I'm an athlete but I say boycott the olympics. We won't even have to go through with the boycott, if we just get enough countries to threaten boycott we can get China to change some of their policies.