In London the international Play Fair at the Olympics 2004 campaign on workers rights in the sportswear industry was launched by Oxfam, the Clean Clothes Campaign and Global Unions at a sports stadium with body painted athletes.

Play Fair promotes the campaign at IOC conference on "women and sports"

Clean Clothes, Global Unions and Oxfam arrived at the International Olympic Committee's 3rd World Conference on Women and Sports in Marrakech, Morocco to inform the Olympic Movement about the campaign's goals. Many at the Conference were supportive of the campaign, including Erica Terpstra, President of the Dutch National Olympic Committee.

In her speech at the first Plenary Session, entitled "Celebrating International Women's Day - What relevance to women in sport?", she mentioned the Play Fair campaign and called on "women to look beyond the world of sports".

Despite having received wide support from various National Olympic Committees for the Play Fair campaign at the conference, Jacques Rogge, head of the International Olympic Committee, was reluctant to accept the "Play Fair at the Olympics report". When a copy was offered to Mr. Rogge as he left the conference he refused it, saying: "I don't know what you're talking about", as he got into his car and left.

As expected, International Labour Day on 1 May was a big day for the "Play Fair" campaign. Here's a sample of some of the campaign actions.

In Tirupur in South India 4 800 workers participated in demonstrations highlighting the appalling conditions facing sportswear workers, organised by the MLF trade union and supported by the human rights organisation SAVE. There was good local media coverage.

In Mirpur in Bangladesh several hundred garment workers marched down the main street chanting "Play Fair at the Olympics - Respect Workers' Rights!". The march was organised by the Bangladesh National Garment Workers' Federation.

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.

In Perth in Australia "Play Fair" campaigners were body-painted in the Olympic colours – ensuring that they stood out in the annual May Day rally. In Brisbane campaign supporters waved placards and banners and marched around the "clothesline of Olympics dirty washing" bearing phrases such as "1 death threat for trying to join a union" and "$3 a day for making $120 running shoes".

In Columbo, Sri Lanka, the Free Trade Zones & General Sevices Employees Union carried a banner in the May Day march which said: "MAKE PLAY FAIR AT THE OLYMPICS BY RESPECTING WORKERS RIGHTS IN THE SPORTSWEAR INDUSTRY". The march highlighted such issues as freedom of association, compulsory overtime for women workers and alternative employment for garment workers who will lose their jobs as a result of the phase-out of the Multi-Fibre Agreement.

In Pakistan, members of the Working Women Organisation carried "Play Fair" campaign posters in their International Labour Day rally and released a statement to the press about the campaign.

In Indonesia, members of the Indonesian trade union GSBI demonstrated outside of the Jakartan office of Nike.

In Kaohsiung city in Taiwan the "Play Fair" campaign featured in a march and rally organised by the Kaohsiung City Human Rights Association, Taiwan Democratic Labor Party, Taiwan Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Association and the Institute of Industry and Labor Study. The theme of the event was Anti-Exploitation, Anti-Discrimination, Anti-Bullying.

The Hong Kong Clothing Industry, Clerical and Retail Trade Employees General Union carried a banner promoting the campaign in the annual May Day rally and campaign leaflets were distributed

In Belgium the European union celebrated May Day by holding an open day. Campaigners set up a stall covered with posters, leaflets and stickers from various European countries where the "Play Fair" campaign is active (Belgium, Netherlands, France, Sweden, UK, Ireland and Spain). Over 300 signatures were collected.

There were also May Day actions linked to the "Play Fair" campaign in the Philippines, the UK, Sweden, Austria and the Netherlands.

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.

In what is being billed as the biggest anti-sweatshop mobilization ever, the Clean Clothes Campaign, Global Unions and Oxfam are challenging the IOC and sportswear companies to accept their responsibility to stop the exploitation of workers producing the sportswear that is marketed through the Olympic games.

On August 10 a large group of faceless activists working at sewing machines on a rooftop in the center of Athens, with the Acropolis as the backdrop, will draw attention to the plight of exploited faceless workers.

In March 2004 the coalition launched a campaign on abuse and exploitation of sportswear workers entitled Play Fair at the Olympics. Research revealed inadequate wages, high levels of compulsory overtime, impossibly high work targets, denial of workers' rights, sexual harassment and verbal abuse in the sportswear industry worldwide.

Hundreds of organizations have participated in the campaign in over 35 countries. There were more than 500 local events and more than half a million signatures have been collected in support of the campaign. Supporters included Olympians like Spanish cyclist Miquel Indurain, Canadian middle distance runner Bruce Kidd, US hammer thrower Kevin McMahon, Spanish synchronized swimmer Gemma Mengual, Australian swimmer Sarah Houbolt, Dutch long distance runner Kamiel Maase and the French World Cup soccer player Didier Deschamps.

Several sports brands (Nike, adidas, Reebok and Puma) have responded to campaign proposals to bring labor abuses across the sportswear sector to an end. They confirm the importance of respecting workers' rights and have shown willingness to work on several areas outlined in the proposals. Other highlighted companies and the industry association representing the sporting goods companies globally have been slower to respond.

The IOC however is refusing either to take any moral leadership on the issue, or to take responsibility for workers' rights in Olympic sponsorship and licensing programs at global, national and games level. Furthermore it is refusing to accept the more than half a million signatures in Athens.