Missed the Goal for Workers: the Reality of Soccer Ball Stitchers in Pakistan, India, China and Thailand

Date of publication: June 7, 2010

Source: International Labor Rights Forum

Author: International Labor Rights Forum

Attached Files

• Soccer-Report2010.pdf [1]
• MissedtheGoal-Summary.pdf [2]

• English [3]
• Español [4]

This report presents the key findings of the International Labor Rights Forum’s research in the four largest soccer balls producing countries: Pakistan, India, China and Thailand. This report also highlights the current missteps of typical corporate social responsibility initiatives such as fair trade certification and factory monitoring where wages and temporary work must be transformed in order for labor rights to be realized by the many soccer ball production workers.

TAKE ACTION NOW TO STOP THESE LABOR RIGHTS VIOLATIONS! [5]

The report highlights that:

• More than half of the 218 surveyed workers in Pakistan reported that they did not make the legal minimum wage per month.
• In one Pakistani manufacturer, ILRF researchers found that all interviewed stitching center or home based workers were temporarily employed resulting workers not having access to healthcare or social security.
• In the same Pakistani manufacturer’s supply chain, female home-based workers faced discrimination based on their gender. They were paid the least and faced the possibility of losing their jobs permanently due to pregnancy.
• In one Chinese factory, workers were found to work up to 21 hours a day during high seasons and without one day off in an entire month.
• Indian stitching centers were described as “pathetic.” Proper drinking water or medical care facilities, and even toilets were often absent.
• Child labor was identified by workers producing for three different factories in Pakistan.

 

ILRF is calling on the soccer ball industry to take immediate action to address the issues of extremely low wages and proliferation of temporary workers in order to improve conditions for the workers who produce the balls at the center of the 2010 World Cup.