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Sportswear brands ‘offside’ on workers’ rights
The World Cup is over but there's been no victory for the workers in Asia who manufacture sportswear for global brands. They are struggling to earn a living and many face dismissal if they try to form unions.
Oxfam International’s report Offside! Labour Rights and Sportswear Production in Asia examines how sports brands are tackling the problem of sweatshops in their industry with a particular focus on workers’ freedom to form and join trade unions.
The report features nine case studies that document how sports brands have responded to evidence of labour rights abuses in particular factories. In some cases they have responded well and addressed the problems while in others labour abuses have continued.
Ultimately, a bigger challenge remains to persuade sports brands to make sure human rights are respected right across their supply chain. The report assesses how much effort sports brands have made to improve labour rights for all workers who make their products.
Read the full report (pdf 3.95mb) or the executive summary (pdf 783kb).
NEW: Read Oxfam's June 14 response to adidas' statement regarding the report (pdf 45k).
Everyone has the right to fair pay and conditions at work and the right to work together to achieve them. This is as true for the women who make sports gear as it is for the players who wear it.
Kelly Dent, Labour Rights Advocate, Oxfam Australia