Source : Procurement Leaders
Producers of merchandise for the London 2012 Olympic games are set to introduce new measures to protect workers after an investigation found evidence of exploitation in Chinese factories.
The investigation carried out by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Labour Behind the Label found evidence of child labour, excessive hours, poverty pay, dangerous working conditions and no trade unions at factories producing badges and the Games’ mascots Wenlock and Mandeville.
The two groups presented their findings to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) in a dossier entitles Toying with Workers Rights.
Commenting on the finding LOCOG chair Seb Coe said “We place a high priority on environmental, social and ethical issues when securing goods and services. As soon as we were made aware of the Playfair 2012 report, we instructed our independent monitor to carry out a comprehensive investigation and review. The outcome of this will be made public as soon as it is concluded.
“We have taken a lead in ethical sourcing and supply chain management but there is always more to do and we are committed to making a real difference to workers’ lives and creating a valuable legacy that we can share,” he added.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “LOCOG had gone further than any previous Games’ organisers in adopting an ethical code and complaints mechanism, but as our research shows this hasn’t been nearly enough to prevent abuses from taking place.
“However it’s not too late to make a difference for workers producing goods for London. We welcome LOCOG’s acknowledgement that further action is necessary and its commitment to act immediately to ensure that factory owners can no longer exploit workers in the name of the Olympics.
“We’re hopeful that a marker has now been set for all future Games and that the International Olympic Committee will play a leading role in taking this work forward so that the exploitation of workers in Olympic supply chains can become a thing of the past. This groundbreaking agreement should also help lead to better working conditions throughout the sporting industry.”
Following the report the LOCOG has agreed to get tougher with the factories in its supply chain.