date: 19 November 2004 embargo: For immediate use

Attention: Political, industrial, economics and sport correspondents

Unions have a vital role in making London 2012 'the best Olympic Games the world has ever seen'

If Britain’s Olympics Games, hopefully to be held in London in 2012, are really to be the 'best Olympics the world has ever seen', then trade unions will have a vital role, building widespread support and mainstreaming quality throughout the organisation and the delivery of the Games.

History shows that winning the Games has not always been good news for a city and that cities have delivered the Games with varying degrees of success. It is widely agreed that the Sydney Olympics was an immense success and so it provides an exemplar which London would have to exceed if Lord Coe’s promise of the best ever Games is to be realised. ‘London 2012’ has already acknowledged that working with unions was a secret to Sydney’s success.

At TUC Congress in September, Lord Coe, Chairman of ‘London 2012’, expressed the organisation’s commitment to working closely with unions, saying:

'And if London is to win the bid, and deliver the 2012 Games, we need your support. We need your support in developing the strategies for the organisations that will successfully deliver the Games. Our aim must be to draw as much of the workforce from the local community, and complemented by local training initiatives run by the London Development Agency and other partners. In setting up the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, we will develop a fair employment framework, policies to cover issues such as remuneration, terms and conditions and health and safety. We will implement this ourselves and take it into account when evaluating tenders and awarding contracts. These should also be our guiding principles for our national sponsorships. We should never forget that Olympic Games do not happen without the selfless legion of volunteers. Sydney was a towering example of this, as was the Manchester Commonwealth Games. A London Games would require up to 70,000 volunteers. To maximise the opportunities available to them, we would set up a voluntary job programme and local job brokerage schemes so that people can develop transferable skills through voluntary work opportunities. Working in partnership with trade unions and developers we can ensure infrastructure is delivered on time, on budget and with appropriate levels of investment in skills, training, and health and safety, all enshrined in common practice. I will also encourage Trade Union Representation on the new Organising Committee and the development of a framework agreement in line with the experience of the Sydney Olympic Games. When we make our case to the IOC, we must be able to say we have the firm, unequivocal, enthusiastic backing of Government. We must also be able to demonstrate that we have the firm backing, of trade unions and the firm backing of business. That too will strengthen our case.'

Mick Connolly, Regional Secretary for TUC region responsible for London said:

'Unions have been working closely with ‘London 2012’ and the Mayor for more than a year to strengthen the Olympic bid and deliver the Olympic project. The TUC is pleased to express its support for Britain’s bid to hold the Olympics in London because of commitments made to quality employment standards and partnership working. ‘London 2012’ knows that working closely with unions was critical to delivering every construction project on time and on budget and with a superb safety record in Sydney. We have agreed to work together to secure the long-term employment impact of the Games by maximizing the training opportunities that arise. And at TUC Congress Lord Coe made a positive and progressive commitment to working with unions.

'We will be pleased to actively contribute to making London 2012 the best Olympic Games the world has ever seen and so ensure that the Games is a massive success, not just for Londoners, but for all those that live in Britain and all those worldwide who support the Olympic ideals.'

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Contacts:

Media enquiries :

Laurie Heselden Tel: 020 467 1292 or 1220

Email: lheselden@tuc.org.uk

Mick Connolly Tel: 020 7467 1220

Mob: 0788 77 97 157

Matt Dykes Tel: 020 7467 1386

Mob: 07970 618 105

Email: mdykes@tuc.org.uk

Press release (800 words) issued 19 Nov 2004