What should sportswear

companies and the Olympic

Movement be doing and by when?

Doug Miller
International Textile Garment and Leather
Workers’ Federation/
University of Northumbria, UK
Structural Issues in Sportswear

• Where is the control in the industry?

• Where is the control in the Olympic

movement?
Why targets and deadlines?

• Industry operates according to KPI’s

– key performance indicators

• Why should this not be extended to

social compliance?
Towards a sectoral dialogue
• Meetings at the ILO 2004 & 2006

• Role of World Federation of Sporting

Goods Industries and the Fair Labor
Association

• Sectoral Conference planned for

Hong Kong - End of June
Freedom of Association and
Collective Bargaining
• Right to unionise guarantee

• Worker Training

• Incentives for suppliers which

engage in collective bargaining
Precarious Employment

• End abuse of short term contracts

• 95% of supplier workforces on

permanent contracts by 2010

• Re-evaluate impact of purchasing

practices
Factory Closures

• Limit the damage done by industry

consolidation
• Reporting targets on factory entry
and exit policies
• MFA Forum guidelines on
‘responsible transition’ have now
been finalised.
Living Wage

• Sportswear buyers should commit to

moving towards a nationally defined
‘living wage’ in 25% of their suppliers
by 2012.

• Cannot be achieved without

addressing freedom of association and
collective bargaining
 TU1 Poverty Line
2271 JO-IN “WAGE LADDER” December 2007*
TU2 Poverty Line
1980

RA5
OTHERS
721
T. AVERAGE
TU1 Starvation Line 703
697
TU2 Starvation Line
RA1** SEWING
701
655
RA4 CUTTING
686
FINISHING
639
SEWING
TUIK POVERTY 664 RA6
LINE 570
CUTTING
FINISHING
RA2 643
552

OTHERS OTHERS
T. AVERAGE
552 547
603
CUTTING RA3*** T. AVERAGE T. AVERAGE
480 529
T. AVERAGE 475
T. AVERAGE
438 SEWING SEWING
480
Legal Min. Wage CUTTING 444 516
FINISHING SEWING SEWING FINISHING
419,5
521 443 FINISHING 432 CUTTING
400 511
380 FINISHING 438
427
Targets for the Olympic Movement

• NOCs (National Organising Committees)

to convince the IOC of the need to
recognise its overarching responsibility
and adopt a centralised approach

• In the meantime push for the very best

practice in social compliance by Games
Organising Committees