Commitment to play fair in future Olympics

date: 29 August 2012

embargo: For immediate release

Unions have welcomed the joint human rights communique signed today (Wednesday) by the governments of the four countries holding the current and next three summer and winter Olympics (the UK, Russia, Brazil and Korea.)

Unions say that the communique adds to the pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to respect workers' fundamental rights, a key demand of the Play Fair campaign run by unions and NGOs since the 2004 Athens Olympics and Paralympics.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'By endorsing so strongly the UN Declaration of Human Rights*, these four governments have committed themselves to protecting the rights of workers building the facilities, staffing the Games and making the sports equipment and memorabilia to decent wages, equal pay and safety.

'The IOC and governments in Olympic host countries are now on notice. Make the next three Games sweatshop-free, healthy for all, and free of worker exploitation.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- *Article 23 of the UN Declaration states that:

(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

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Contacts:

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