Fifa collaborates with trade union for better working conditions with five-year deal with Building and Wood Workers’ International.
Fifa joins with trade union to promote ‘safe working conditions’.
Following a five-year agreement with the Building and Wood Workers’ International trade union, FIFA has announced additional initiatives to promote “decent and safe working conditions” during its events.
The BWI, which has criticised FIFA for giving Saudi Arabia the right to host the 2034 World Cup finals, will now collaborate with the organisation that oversees world football to carry out labour inspections in the Gulf state and other locations. In order to provide redress for workers who are exploited or negatively impacted at work, the agreement will also include training for employees and their representatives as well as the development of a “time-bound corrective action plan.”
“The Building and Wood Workers’ International and Fifa have signed a new collaboration agreement that sets a framework for joint inspections, training, and reporting to promote decent and safe working conditions for all workers involved in the construction and renovation of stadiums and other infrastructure linked to Fifa tournaments,” Fifa said in a statement said.
Together with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in the 2022 World Cup host nation, FIFA and the BWI collaborated in Qatar to implement training programs and inspection dialogues that helped raise labour standards.
However, the BWI continued to criticise FIFA for failing to implement additional changes in Qatar. Its general secretary, Ambet Yuson, harshly criticised FIFA for awarding the 2034 tournament to Saudi Arabia, claiming that the tournament carried the risk of a “permanent stain in the world of sport” and that the bidding process was conducted “without any robust assessment.”
Fifa’s secretary general, Mattias Grafström, said: “Like Building and Wood Workers’ International, Fifa takes workers’ rights very seriously. It is essential that all workers involved in projects connected to Fifa tournaments enjoy good working conditions, a fair income, safety in the workplace, social protection and integration. We want to ensure that everyone benefits when a country hosts a Fifa tournament, and that includes those who build the infrastructure.”