Oxfam want fair play for Asia’s sport brand workers

AS top sportswear brands prepare to showcase their wares at this year’s FIFA World Cup in Germany, across Asia, workers who attempt to unionise are being sacked and threatened with violence, Oxfam International said yesterday.

A report Oxfam’s report, Offside! Labour Rights and Sportswear Production in Asia, found that workers making clothes, shoes and other goods for global sports brands have been sacked or threatened when they have organised unions to lobby for better pay and conditions.

The majority of Asian sportswear workers are women from poor communities, many supporting children and families.