Body painted athletes launch Fair Olympics campaign in London

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.

'Exploitation Olympics' in Bristol to showcase the abuse of worker's rights in the sportswear industry

The Fair Play at the Olympics 2004 Campaign was launched in the South West UK at the Bristol University indoor track with an 'Exploitation Olympics' featuring student athletes in 'Playfair' running vests jumping hurdles illustrated with banners representing barriers of 'low pay', 'long hours', and 'no to unions'. The runners were being urged to run 'harder faster longer' by a large costumed black cat sportswear manufacturer - Puma.

Nigel Costley, South West TUC Regional Secretary said: "The Olympic Games are supposed to be a showcase for fairness and human achievement. But the sportswear industry is violating that spirit by exploiting and abusing workers rights. We want the companies to respect workers wherever in the world they are. The Olympic spirit is about celebrating human endeavour and courage; it brings sports men and women together from around the world. It should not be marred by the greed of private sports firms who rip-off vulnerable workers."

Student hurdlers David and Cordelia commented: "The majority of workers in the sportswear industry are women. They are paying a heavy price for their jobs. Their health, the welfare of their children and their family life are suffering as a result of long hours, poor working conditions and low pay. If women workers are going to escape from poverty we need to change the way the these companies do business and make trade fair."

The runners then departed to deliver a letter to ten city centre sports shops to ask managers to take up the campaign's concerns with their management and suppliers…

On March 8 Oxfam campaigners, trade unionists, students and star athletes from the university of Surrey joined forces to task local sportswear manufacturer Puma UK about their employment practices in developing countries.

Play Fair at TUC Women's Conference in Eastbourne

'Play Fair at the Olympics' was the key campaigning message for the 350 plus women trade unionists at this year's TUC Women's Conference held in Eastbourne 10 - 12th March. There was a strong international focus throughout the conference, with global trade union representatives from the Philippines, Colombia, Zimbabwe, and Europe, as well as reps from Oxfam, War on Want, Labour Behind the Label & Homeworkers Worldwide. The campaign was highly visible throughout the conference, with a Fairtrade wine reception organised by Oxfam to mark the campaign, a stall, Olympic torches signed by delegates, and 10 workshop sessions where delegates discussed the role that trade unions can play in campaigning on international labour standards for women workers globally. Each delegate received a special Olympics pack before they arrived.

Jaqui Smith, MP for Redditch and Deputy Minister for Women, highlighted the importance of this campaign during her plenary speech. She signed the torch which will be handed over to key representatives at Congress in September. Conference ended with a photo opportunity, at which local press attended, of delegates showing their support for 'Play Fair at the Olympics'.

In London Sporting MP's back Campaign for a Fair Olympics

Together with thousands of sports fans over 140 Members of the House of Commons have publicly expressed their support for the Play Fair at the Olympics Campaign. Sporting MPs are backing the campaign in the week that the Olympic torch arrives in London, en-route to the Games in Athens, Greece.

Don Foster MP for Bath, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for the Liberal Democrats and a keen cyclist said: "If companies produce sports wear bearing the Olympic emblem they should ensure that the way the sportswear is made is consistent with the values of fair play and respect for human dignity that the Olympics stands for."

Andy Reed MP for Loughborough and an active rugby and football player said:
"Sports fans don't want to wear sports gear that is produced in exploitative conditions. Before the Games begin we want to hear the companies and the Olympic Movement make a commitment to end the exploitation".

Tolpuddle: Unfair Olympics

In 1834, 6 men from the village of Tolpuddle in England were convicted in court and transported to Australia. Their crime? Forming a union of poor agricultural workers, to defend their interests against the landowners who were keeping them in poverty and starvation. The conviction was intended to warn and discourage would-be unionists, but the public outcry that followed served only to further their cause. Popular support for the Tolpuddle Martyrs saw them released in 1837, and the momentum of the labor movement could no longer be halted.

Fast-forward to 2005, and what has changed? 170 years is a long time, yet in many ways progress has been slow or non-existent. Although joining a union in Britain is today the right of every individual, still workers struggle against poor conditions, insecurity, intimidation and corruption. Moreover, for many workers across the world the penalties for union organizing are as severe as in 19th century Britain.

At the annual rally in Tolpuddle in 2004, hundreds of unionists from across Britain came to celebrate the birth of their struggle, and also to discuss the issues of the modern era. Activists from No Sweat, an anti-sweatshop campaign, chose to highlight the issue of the Olympic Games, due to begin a month later in Greece. The Olympics are an old institution too (3000 years in all, 108 years in its modern incarnation), holding grand claims to combine "mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play". Yet while this idealism might ring true for some competitors, officials and spectators (and of course the corporate sponsors), it is meaningless to the hidden thousands of workers whose sweat and blood make the lavish spectacle possible. There was no fair play on the Athens construction sites where up to 40 ill-equipped and overworked laborers lost their lives. And where is the solidarity with union-busted sweatshop workers across the developing world, who made millions of dollars worth of clothing and equipment for the Games and its offshoots?

No Sweat's "Unfair Olympics" was a fun (if chaotic) lesson on how things are in the real world of capitalism and sport. To the applause of the assembled crowd, a select group of children took their place on both track and field (actually the main campsite), striving to achieve personal success and glory. Unfortunately they were competing with their bosses, whose similar aspirations were backed up with money and influence. With their bowler hats, fat cigars and pockets stuffed with cash, they brushed all opposition aside without breaking a sweat. A tip of the hat and a flash of banknotes saw the high jump lowered and highered as required, fat business men stepping over the rope with ease while the workers leapt in vain. Things got worse on the track, as workers struggled to the finish line with their legs tied together, while the free-running (and free-trading) bosses coasted to victory. Similarly, in the "get the sack" race, holes miraculously appeared in the bosses' Hessian while workers tripped and fell around them. It was a walkover.

It was all bound to end in tears. Defeated individuals claimed foul play, shouted and complained, and in some cases ran crying to their mums and dads. To some onlookers it seemed unfair, pitting innocent, competitive children against the greedy, cynical adults making the rules. But too often it is like that in the real world. Too often individual workers put up with poor conditions and compete with their colleagues in the pursuit of small individual gains, while those at the top call the shots and line their pockets.

Fortunately, the Unfair Olympics offered a glimmer of hope to the disillusioned competitors. Coaxed back onto the field one last time, it was winner-takes-all in the tug-o-war event. Determined, and by now a little wiser, the children pulled together. Their collective strength was awesome, and the pathetic handful of bosses crumpled and fell onto their fat-cat behinds. This option is available in the real world too.

Behind the laughter, tears and bruised backsides at Tolpuddle was a serious point. It is one thing to identify and complain about a situation, to say that the rules are unfair and the competitors corrupt. It is another thing to do something about it, and this requires collective will and co-operation. The success of the Fair Play At The Olympics campaign resulted from strong, collective campaigning across the world, between groups with common ideals. The future success of the workers whose rights we are defending will be likewise.