Oxfam Australia is working, along with other international organisations, to persuade major companies to improve the rights and conditions of workers. You can help by taking action with us: www.oxfam.org.au/labour-rights-action Workers in developing countries have a pretty raw deal. They’re paid minimal wages and are often forced to work long hours in harsh – often dangerous – conditions. Yet, they’re producing some of the world’s most expensive and coveted brands. In the sportswear and garment industry – where much of our work focuses – most of these workers are women. Major sportswear brands rake in billions of dollars in profits every year, spend millions of dollars on slick ad campaigns and sponsor the highest-earning players in sport from David Beckham to Michael Jordan. But dig beneath this glamorous façade and you’ll see that this industry is built on the hard-working backs of some of the world’s poorest men and women. Sportswear workers in Asia endure long hours in sweatshop-like conditions for on average less than US $3 a day and still struggle to feed and clothe themselves and their families. There’s something wrong with this picture. We're working hard to ensure that the big brands like Nike, adidas and Puma treat their workers with respect and pay them enough to meet their basic needs. How are we doing this? By making the garment and sportswear giants accountable. Join our campaign and support the human rights of workers: www.oxfam.org.au/labour-rights-action

1. Workers in developing countries get a pretty raw deal

4. They’re paid minimal wages and are often forced to work long hours in difficult – often dangerous – conditions

7. In the sportswear and garment industry most of these workers are women. Many have migrated from rural areas where there are few employment opportunities

9. Their reality is long and intensive working days for very low pay

13. Workers who want to form unions and bargain collectively frequently face...

14. ...discrimination...

15. ...harassment...

16. ...threats of dismissal...

17. ...and in some cases violent intimidation

19. Wages are barely enough for workers to get by on…

20. …let alone to support their families. …let alone to support their families

21. Yet while workers struggle to make ends meet…

24. …they’re producing some of the world’s most expensive and coveted brands

26. Brands that spend big dollars on glossyad campaigns

28. And some make millions of dollars in profits each year

31. Many workers believe that their workplaces and their lives can be better

33. Despite all the risks, many workers form unions and organise fortheir rights and better working conditions

39. These workers want the sportswearand garment industry to recognise their basic rights...

40. Send a message to their employers…

41. Freedom of Association

42. To earn a living wage

43. Fair work conditions

44. Freedom from workplace violence & harassment

45. Oxfam Australia supports these workers by ensuring their voices are heard www.oxfam.org.au/labour-rights-action

47. Oxfam Australia particularly supports and encourages women workers—as the majority of sportswear workers—to take a leading role

50. We support unions to campaign for workers rights, lobby companies and sometimes governments to respect labour rights. We provide resources and support to worker organisations. We help strengthen the labour rights movement by working in international coalitions. Oxfam supports worker organisations in building networks and coalitions

51. Oxfam supports training opportunities and leadership training to women

54. Oxfam promotes solutions by researching labour rights issues and making recommendations to major brands

56. Has there been success in supporting workers’ rights?

57. There is now greater transparency and public disclosure by major sports brands who publish factory names and addresses

59. There are labour codes and compliance staff who seek to monitor and enforce labour standards

60. There has been increased dialogue between sports brands and civil society

62. The legal minimum wage is now mostly paid

63. Living and working conditionsin some sportswear supplier factories have improved

65. New opportunities have arisen out of alternative business models that support the rights of workers, like the Solidarity Cooperative in Thailand

67. BUT

68. There remains much work to be done

69. Workers need your support: www.oxfam.org.au/labour-rights-action

70. Why?

71. Sportswear companies send conflicting messages to their supplier factories

72. Too often the policies of brands are not supported by their buying practices

73. Brands require their supplier factories to respect labour rights, but their business model demands high quality products with a fast turn around at a low cost

75. Brands may require suppliers to uphold rights and safety, but don’t allocate sufficient resources to ensure respect for those rights

77. So what can you do to support the efforts of women and men sportswear workers to achieve a better life?

78. Every action can help make a difference

80. Join our campaign! www.oxfam.org.au/support-workers-rights

82. Keep brands behaving! www.oxfam.org.au/labour-rights-action

83. Photo Credits: Tim Herbert/OxfamAUS * Ben Adams/OxfamAUS * Rino Hidayah/OxfamAUS * Sarah Rennie/OxfamAUS * Fernando Moleres/OxfamIntermon www.oxfam.org.au/support-workers-rights