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The Playfair 2008 coalition released a report in June alleging poor labour conditions in factories making goods for the 2008 Olympics. No Medal for the Olympics on labour rights focuses primarily on child labour, excessive hours and poor wages. The Playfair coalition includes the Clean Clothes Campaign, Intertational Textile Garments and Leather Workers Federation (ITGLWF) and the International Trade Union Confederation

The allegations though extremely worrying, reflect the general situation in China. Campaigners should be congratulated on their dedication to uncovering the issues. Researchers worked in the factories alongside workers to discover what conditions were reallly like. In one factory they found 20 children, some as young as 12, working in their school holidays. In another factory they found forced overtime, fines and pay 65% less than the local minimum wage.

Play Fair 08 are calling on the International Olympic Committee to ensure labour standards are upheld. Poor standards clearly contradict Olympian values. After similar campaigns around the 2004 Athens Olympics the IOC should have been better prepared this time around.