Let’s make the Swedish 2022 Winter and Paralympics the ‘cleanest’ ever

Blogs

 

The Swedish Trade Union Confederation, LO-Sweden, has signed a historic cooperation agreement with the Swedish Olympic Committee (SOK) which stipulates respect for labour rights as a basis for the Swedish bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The following values and principles will guide the 2022 Stockholm Olympic Games:

  • the development and implementation of the Olympic Games will be designed to achieve long-term sustainability from an environmental perspective as well as economically, socially and ethically
  • the SOK will actively encourage the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic movement to make these points a priority in all their activities
  • internationally adopted decisions, such as the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the eight core ILO conventions and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, will be respected and will serve as guiding principles for everyone involved in the preparation and implementation of the 2022 Olympic Games in Stockholm
  • Companies that produce facilities, equipment, clothes and supply services for the Olympic Games in Stockholm will be encouraged to comply with the above principles in all operations and further promote the signing of global framework agreements between international companies and global union federations to ensure good conditions for workers throughout the production chain. All enterprises and suppliers of goods and services will also be encouraged to follow Swedish collective agreements when the work is performed in Sweden.

LO-Sweden and the SOK want the Olympic Games in Sweden to be remembered by its respect for trade union and other human rights, good labour relations, sustainability and sound working conditions.

“I am impressed with the work done by the TUC in the UK before and during the London 2012 Olympic Games and I hope this agreement can improve this important issue even further,” says Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson, President of LO-Sweden.

We want the Olympic Games and all international sporting events to be clean and not dirty, as we have seen before.

We don’t want to see workers exploited and killed anywhere – it is not dignified for the international community.

LO-Sweden will take a very active role in the preparation committee, working alongside the SOK to make sure the agreement is fulfilled.