Global Labor Issues Highlighted by World Cup

South Africa has worked hard to keep the spotlight surrounding the 2010 World Cup focused on the games and players, though the referees are doing a good job of stealing the show. This desire though has deeper, and much more selfish, roots than most international commentators are revealing. While it’s known to many that most South Africans are far too poor to afford attending a single World Cup match, the exploitation of local labor populations has received scant attention.

This is best evidenced by the plight of staffers who are working as security at the stadiums. BBC covered the story on Wednesday, June 16th (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10329679.stm), but it has since fallen out of the headlines. The article explains how workers are suffering 15- to 18-hour shifts, being paid wages below their contracted amounts, and even having paychecks withheld by their employer, Stallion. For a company that prides itself for “[caring] about the wellbeing and safety of its staff,” these allegations should be even more embarrassing.

But it gets even worse: since the reporting of the strikes, Stallion has fired thousands of these workers, many of who believed these jobs were their chance to benefit from the country’s and continent’s first World Cup. Stallion blames the workers for trying to hold the World Cup ransom and accusing them of “not being patriotic [sic].” Honestly, Stallion thinks the workers should just suck it up not to embarrass their nation? I for one believe it is Stallion and the South African officials who are doing their country the disservice.

At a time when world attention is drawn upon a global celebration of talent, how shameful is our collected failure to address these conditions. Though South Africa has ended apartheid, the country remains segregated as the vicious cycle and realities of poverty continue to hold most of the country’s black population. We must not let the abuses continue unquestioned. If we don’t speak up when a company violates the principles enshrined in Articles 23 and 24 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the rights to a living wage and limitations on work hours, we may find our protests fall upon deaf ears when we find any of our other 27 rights enshrined in the declaration are being disregarded. Specifically, contact Stallion at either http://www.stallion.co.za/contact.html or their email info@stallion.co.za and tell them you support workers’ rights!

But maybe it’s just me who believes 15-hour work days are unreasonable?