Campaigners are stepping up pressure on the sponsors of Fifa, the global football organization, to speak out about the conditions faced by migrant workers on World Cup infrastructure construction sites in Qatar, where the football World Cup is to be held in 2022.
The latest campaign was launched at a press conference held in London on Monday. It brought together the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Playfair Qatar, a campaign by the British Trade Union Congress (TUC) about the “abuse” of migrant workers building World Cup infrastructure in Qatar. It was further supported by New Fifa Now, another campaign launched earlier this year, ahead of the election for the presidency of Fifa, calling for reforms at the organization. It was instigated by Jaimie Fuller, chairman of Skins, the Australian and Swiss-based compression garments brand, and supported by Damian Collins, a conservative member of the British Parliament.
This latest action targeting Fifa sponsors focuses on the treatment of laborers in Qatar, where The Guardian reported more than 300 deaths among Nepalese migrant workers alone in the last two years. Campaigners criticize the conditions at labor camps for World Cup infrastructure and, more broadly, the kafala scheme under which employers may prevent migrant workers from changing jobs or leaving the country. Amnesty International says it “ties workers to their employers and encourages forced labour.”
Fifa says it has “repeatedly urged the Qatari authorities to ensure decent conditions for migrant workers in the country.” There have been “significant improvements” but “everyone recognizes that more needs to be done,” Fifa says, adding that it continues to pursue this with the local authorities and by working with international organizations.
The Qatari government promised reforms last year. Qatar's labor minister said earlier this month that the situation has improved and that he hopes kafala rules will be abolished before the end of the year.
While the government has been publicizing conditions for laborers working on World Cup stadia, campaigners insist that they should apply to work on all World Cup-related constructions, such as roads and hotels – and they argue that the sponsors should use their influence for this purpose.
Fuller says he has sent letters to the chief executives of eight top sponsors, from Adidas to Visa, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Anheuser-Busch Inbev, Hyundai, Kia and Gazprom, calling for their support. The Australian, who already led a campaign for reform in cycling, emphasizes that he does not ask the sponsors to reduce their investment or sever ties with Fifa, but to use their influence to demand change.
In his letter to Herbert Hainer, chief executive of the Adidas Group, Fuller mentions the company's own Workplace Standards, requiring that “business partners must not use forced labour.” He alleges that Adidas is “contravening its own values and principles” by contributing significant sums of money to Fifa and that Fifa sponsors and partners provide “implicit support” of unfair working practices.
Fuller insists that he understands and respects the longevity and depth of the relationship between Adidas and Fifa, and describes this as one of the motives for him to request support from Adidas. He says he has not received replies from any of the Fifa top sponsors. If the sponsors do not engage, Fuller added, the next step could be to call for a boycott of their products, although he would prefer the campaign not to go that far.
Adidas responded that the company is “concerned regarding the situation of workers involved in the preparation for Qatar 2022.” However, it apparently declines to take the lead in pushing for labor reforms in Qatar, saying that “the main responsibility to address those issues and to ensure human rights and fair working standards lies in the hands of the local government.” The Adidas Group further refers to the Fifa statement issued on Monday and to its own track record on labor practices, including 15 consecutive inclusions in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.
Fuller himself visited workers camps in Qatar and brought back footage showing cramped and squalid living conditions. It emerged this week that a BBC crew reporting on migrant laborers in Qatar was jailed for two days and released without charges, while their equipment was confiscated. The government said this was due to trespassing and Fifa is said it would investigate the issue.
Sony, Emirates, Castrol, Johnson & Johnson and Continental have all decided not to renew their partnership with Fifa in the last seven months. The moves came amid controversy about the decision to organize the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a country with searing hot summer temperatures and little legacy in football. There are still three candidates standing against the incumbent Sepp Blatter for Fifa's presidential elections in Zurich on May 29, but the Swiss is predicted to win for the fifth time.
