Olympic stitch-up

Twenty faceless women took to an Athens rooftop on the eve of 
the Olympics in solidarity with exploited sportswear workers 
around the globe.

Against a backdrop of the Acropolis, they operated sewing 
machines in a silent protest against the continuing refusal of 
sportswear manufacturers to sign off on basic labour codes.

Play Fair at the Olympics spokespersons conceded some 
improvements had been made in the sector but urged Olympic bosses 
to use their influence to end the appalling working conditions 
faced by hundreds of thousands of women, worldwide.

The action was sparked by the refusal of the IOC to accept a 
petition on labour standards signed by over half a million 
people.

Play Fair said that punishing work schedules, poverty wages, 
harassment and discrimination were still facts of life in an 
industry enriching Western manufacturers.

Launched this year by Oxfam, the Clean Clothes Campaign and 
global unions, Play Fair at the Olympics have focused world 
attention on sweat shops.

Other actions have included a regional workers' Olympics in 
Thailand and a ride, from Belgium to Greece, by 27 cyclists 
supporting the campaign.

Meanwhile, in the final week before the 2004 Games, paramedics, 
ambulance drivers and thousands of hotel workers took direct 
action in a bid to share in the Olympic bonanza.

One Greek union spokesperson summed up the wave of strikes like 
this: "As we say in Greece — we will smack the pig until it 
squeals".