Belgium may be a small country, but Belgians have mobilised for the "Play Fair" Campaign in a big way. Trade Unions, Oxfams and the Clean Clothes Campaign have organised an "alternative torch relay", which started on March 27 in different corners of Belgium and converged on Brussels on April 24. Local groups organised more than 100 local actions involving schoolchildren, sports teams, students and community members.

Alternative torches carrying the message of the campaign have been walked through city centres and ridden on bikes between towns - accompanied by a variety of local actions, such as alternative Olympic Games for children; creative fashion-shows with sportswear logos covered; a treasure hunt in Leuven where people had to search for information about the Play Fair campaign. Local sports teams in Gent competed to see who could cycle the furthest carrying scrolls displaying the campaign message.

Furthermore a multicultural festival has been organised on the grounds of the University of Gent, dedicated to the Play Fair campaign.

Cycling to Athens

On Friday July 30th, a group of 26 men and 1 woman began a monstertour that was taking them from Leuven to the Home of the Olympics.

Under the Auspices of the Belgian Clean Clothes Campaign and Govaka, a group of 27 good humoured amateur cyclists gathered in Leuven to take on the 2000 kilometre trip through Europe in order to reach the Olympic capital on August 12th. At 8 AM, under flashlights and cameras of the Belgian press, the Play Fair pack departed for their first destination -the city of Arlon, 200 kilometres away.

Focal point of "Leuven-Athens 2004" is to draw attention to the Play Fair campaign. Support for the tour has been overwhelming, as the cyclists along the route have been aided by local authorities, campaigners and sportsmen and women. On August 2 in Lucerne, Switzerland, for example, the pack was greeted by campaigners as well as a huge signpost that encouraged them to keep going (only 1331 km left to Athens!).

Photos and a Dutch progress report can be found on:
http://www.schonekleren.be/trekhetjeaan/fietstocht.htm

The campaign launched their signature campaign "Play Fair at the Olympics- on your marks, get set, sign!" at the Made In Dignity Festival which also featured fashion shows and world music.

In Brussels on 21 June one of the official Olympic torchbearers spoke up in support of the campaign. Moments after running with the Olympic torch as it passed through Antwerp, Mike De Herdt, a young Belgian trade unionist, highlighted the abuse and exploitation of workers in the sportswear industry.

Fila action
Although CCC Belgium tried several times, it turned out to be impossible to arrange a meeting with the managing director of Fila. Therefore CCC Belgium contacted the management of Fila International and informed them about this lack of cooperation. They were assured that Fila International is ready to communicate.

We, CCC Belgium, warned Fila Belgium that we would pay them a visit. We mobilised 10 people, invited the press, took our posters and banners and knocked on the door. In the meantime they had found out about our plans. They were not ready to talk neither to the group nor to the press; only one person was allowed to go in. In the conversation that took place with Frieda De Koninck, coordinator of CCC, the administrator and one of the employees said they had downloaded the Olympic report and thought we were well informed. They said they felt in an impossible position to influence decision-making concerning working conditions. They felt under attack. After a while they said they were ready to pass the message to the managing director although they doubted he would be willing to react or pass on the message to Fila International.

Until now the members of the delegation - both union (ACV) and NGO people (Wereldsolidariteit) - that live in Ostend had not been aware of the fact that Fila Belgium is located in their city. They felt motivated to find out more about the company, the people that work there and the managing director. We got media coverage from the regional TV and 2 regional newspapers.

Frieda De Koninck
CCC Belgium

21-22.04.04
Working together to create pressure for change - international campaign forum in Belgium.

"Without international solidarity we cannot move the sportswear industry to sit up and take notice of the stories behind their products". Lek Yimprasert, Director of the Thai Labour Campaign, made these comments during the "Play Fair At The Olympics" International Campaign Forum which ran from 21st- 22nd April at International Trade Union House in Brussels. Ms Yimprasert was commenting on the need for cooperation between trade unions and NGOs in the Global South and the Global North.

The forum ran from 21st-22nd April and brought together NGOs, trade unions and industry representatives from around the world to debate issues including how to increase accountability among global sportswear manufacturers and the impact of corporate social responsibility on working conditions. The forum was organised by Global Unions and the Belgian arm of the Clean Clothes Campaign

Industry and Olympic representatives also recognised the important role that activists involved in NGOs and trade unions can play in changing the way the industry works. Thierry Zintz from the Belgian National Olympic Committee said, "The participation of NGOs and trade unions is necessary to exert pressure on sportswear companies, in a sort of triangular model". A representative from adidas, Frank Henke, echoed this view, arguing in favour of cooperation between civil society and the sportswear industry to change the current scenario.