Bangkok, Thailand - Sportswear and garment workers from 7 Asian countries (Cambodia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia) today joined hundreds of Thai workers in a sport stadium in Bangkok for their own Olympics. But these games also had a serious message - the Olympic ideal of fair play should be extended to workers who make the sportswear so heavily promoted in Athens.

Asia is the world's centre for sportswear production, with hundreds of thousands of workers, mostly women, employed under highly exploitative conditions. Junya Yimprasert of the Thai Labour Campaign said: "Sportswear firms spend millions of dollars on sponsoring athletes but they squeeze their suppliers so hard it results in impossible pressures on workers. “

Thai sportswear worker Sunee said: “Every day sportswear workers work as hard as any athlete in training. But instead of medals there are poverty wages, long working hours and constant pressure to work faster. Today we are competing for fun, but we are also saying that we object to our working lives being dominated by competition. Asian workers want to support each other, not compete.”

The event is part of Play Fair At the Olympics, a campaign initiative of Oxfams, Global Unions and the Clean Clothes Campaign which has become one of the biggest ever mobilisations against exploitative work. Hundreds of organisations, including the Thai Labour Campaign, have participated in over 35 countries, more than half a million signatures have been collected and there have been more than 500 local events. Supporters include athletes like Spanish cyclist Miguel Indurain and French World Cup soccer star Didier Deschamps.

The campaign is calling on sportswear brands to change their buying practices to reduce pressures on suppliers and workers and on governments to enforce global labour standards. Tim Connor of Oxfam said “The campaign has at least succeeded in bringing some major brands in the sportswear industry, including Nike, adidas, Reebok and Puma around the table to discuss how to bring an end to labour abuses. Unfortunately the IOC is refusing either to take any moral leadership on the issue or to take responsibility for workers’ rights in Olympic sponsorship and licensing programs”.

Medals were presented by Marjorie Larney from the 1952 and 1956 US Olympic teams who has helped coach the Thai Olympic team. Marjorie said “I agree with the goals of the Day 110%.”

This is the first “Workers’ Olympics” since World War II and the first ever in Asia. The garment and sportswear workers will spend the next two days sharing their stories of factory life and planning further campaign activity for decent wages and conditions.

For further comment call Junya Yimprasert (Lek) from the Thai Labour Campaign on 66 (0) 16175491 or Tim Connor from Oxfam on 66 (0) 60546930.

For more information see www.fairolympics.org and www.thailabour.org.

 

8th march 2004 - On International Women's Day, 500 people march through Bangkok under Play Fair banner

Over 500 people joined in a march from Thailand's Government House to the Democracy Monument to celebrate International Women's Day. Activists, workers and women's leaders used the occasion to voice their opinions on government policies and a number of critical issues of concern, particularly the rights of women workers.

Throughout the march, campaign pamphlets were distributed and the women workers' band Paradon performed at the end.

Over a hundred of the women workers wore a "Play Fair at the Olympics" T-shirt, in support of the international campaign linking workers and activists all over the world in the lead up to the Athens Olympics later this year.

Thailand's sportswear industry is a major employer, primarily of women who are underpaid to work long hours with little to no job security, benefits and attention to health and safety standards. The fundamental human rights of the workers in the industry, particularly the right to join and form trade unions and to engage in collective bargaining, are rarely respected. A call for the Thai government to ratify international conventions on freedom of association and right to collective bargaining were among the key demands of protesters in this years march.

There was also a 2-meter football carried by a crane with a message calling on the Thai government to ratify International Labour Organisation Conventions 87 and 98 regarding workers right to form and join trade unions-a key demand of workers' organisations in Thailand.

The Thai campaign T-shirts were produced by the Solidarity Co-op - a group of former sportswear workers who have formed their own factory. The Thai Labour Working Group is organising Thai involvement in the Play Fair campaign. Key organisations in the Working Group include Homenet Thailand, the Center for Labour Information Service and Training, Labour Coordinating Center, textile unions and the Thai Labour Campaign - thailabour.org

May Rally

In Bangkok, the May Day rally was one of the biggest ever, with 60-80,000 people protesting about a range of issues including electricity privatisation and minimum wage levels. Workers involved in the Thai Labour Working Group carried creative "Play Fair" campaign banners and distributed 2,000 campaign fliers.

18th July 2004 - Conference.

In Bangkok on 18 July the Thai Labour Working Group organised the conference "From Olympic medals to a life behind the sewing machine". The conference featured speeches by local unions and labour rights organisations. The audience enjoyed the new 20-minute video "Stop Trading Away Our Rights and Play Fair at the Olympics".

8th august 2004 - Sportswear and garment workers from 7 Asian countries today joined hundreds of Thai workers in a sport stadium in Bangkok for the Workers' Olympics

Asia is the world's centre for sportswear production, with hundreds of thousands of workers, mostly women, employed under highly exploitative conditions. Junya Yimprasert of the Thai Labour Campaign said: "Sportswear firms spend millions of dollars on sponsoring athletes but they squeeze their suppliers so hard it results in impossible pressures on workers. Thai sportswear worker Sunee said: "Every day sportswear workers work as hard as any athlete in training. But instead of medals there are poverty wages, long working hours and constant pressure to work faster. Today we are competing for fun, but we are also saying that we object to our working lives being dominated by competition. Asian workers want to support each other, not compete."

The campaign is calling on sportswear brands to change their buying practices to reduce pressures on suppliers and workers and on governments to enforce global labour standards. Tim Connor of Oxfam said "The campaign has at least succeeded in bringing some major brands in the sportswear industry, including Nike, adidas, Reebok and Puma around the table to discuss how to bring an end to labour abuses. Unfortunately the IOC is refusing either to take any moral leadership on the issue or to take responsibility for workers' rights in Olympic sponsorship and licensing programs". Medals were presented by Marjorie Larney from the 1952 and 1956 US Olympic teams who has helped coach the Thai Olympic team. Marjorie said "I agree with the goals of the Day 110%."

This is the first "Workers' Olympics" since World War II and the first ever in Asia. The garment and sportswear workers will spend the next two days sharing their stories of factory life and planning further campaign activity for decent wages and conditions.

Ms. Malaiwan Chadawipoo, a unionized worker of the bottle lid factory: "I've met many people. I've got new friends. It was fun. I've seen solidarity and unity of my labour union, also of others. If this event is organized again, I would like to see more factory workers come to join."

Mr. Johan Utang, a garment worker of the Solidarity Group: "I was impressed because it is rare to have joint activities with other Labour friends. And usually, I've seen sports games on television, which show conflict, fighting or quarrel. But on the day of workers solidarity Olympics, there was no fighting and this is very impressive. I would like these activities to be organized again as I would like to meet friends who are workers like me."

Ms. Waewdown Kaewkasem, former garment worker. She is now working with the network of home based workers in Bangkok:
"The activities were good. It was the first time that most of the workers met labour friends from other countries. Usually, the workers play sports with their colleagues in a factory but this event gave them a chance to join in an international activity. It was so fun and excited to see the lively cheering crowd and dancing cheerleaders in colourful dressed up. It showed the creative ideas of the workers. I think this kind of event should be organized again. If it is organized continuously, the workers' relationship will be tightened. Also they have a chance to learn, share and open their conception of the world. On the other hand, I think that members of the textile, garment and leather workers federation should see importance of this activity and join more which means the event would get more achievement. For the working team on organizing the event, they should have better preparation."

Mr. Tara Sawangtam, a railway worker. Railway is one of the state-owned enterprises in Thailand:
"On the 'Workers Solidarity Olympics Day', I also joined in the activities and I was impressed by the workers solidarity, no matter they are Thai or foreign. They all came to meet and join in the sports activities for the unity. The worker is the one who creates the world. The Olympics Games have made people involved and athletes being rich from big contracts and brand name sportswear. The workers are not rich though they produce the products. Thus, from now on I would like fair practice occur to the workers. And as a rail worker, I would like to cheer them up for keeping on struggle."

Ms. Sunee Narmso, a garment worker of the Solidarity Group; workers based enterprise: "I'm glad that I had opportunity to join the 'Workers Solidarity Olympics Day'. I feel impressed when I saw different organizations aware of the importance of workers."

Ms. Wilaiwan Saetia, the president of the Labour Solidarity Committee of Thailand: "The activity has built solidarity among Thai workers, also between Thai and foreign workers. And the campaign has made awareness that garment workers earn very little compared to big corporate profits. This is an injustice in sportswear industry. Though this time, activities organizing were in a hitch, activities did not run smoothly. I think that it should have more participants; anyway I would like this kind of activities to be organized in the next four years. I guess that it was the first time and the publication was not done well enough. I really hope that in the next four years, the Workers Solidarity Olympics day would be organized again and I think that there would be more people come to join. My colleagues and I will join more in the sports activities if we are told in advance and have enough time of practicing. For the next time, I would not like the activities to be a race for being the first or second winner or for the award money. For example, in my opinion awards for 'short story competition' could be like free trip with seminar, forum to share and express ideas about their short stories or training."