Pakistani factory owner visits Swedish union in project against child labour
Published: 27 February 1998
The Swedish Industrial Union (Industrifacket), which organises workers in the leather and the clothing industries, campaigns actively against child labour. In 1996 it drew the attention of the Swedish president of the European football organisation, UEFA, to the fact that the footballs used in major tournaments are manufactured by small children in Pakistan. The UEFA president, Lennart Johansson, answered that he and the other representatives of the sport shared the union's view on child labour. Mr Johansson in turn took up the matter with the international football organisation, FIFA, and in September the same year FIFA made an agreement with three international trade union confederations not to order footballs manufactured by children. As a result, the world's leading sports-equipment companies decided to invest in projects to abolish child labour in Pakistani football factories.
In February 1998, a factory owner from Pakistan, Kurshid Soofi, visited the Swedish Industrial Union to inform it about a project for the abolition of child labour in the football factories of his home town of Sialkot. The experiences are promising and may be useful for the fight against child labour in other industries.
The Swedish Industrial Union (Industrifacket), which organises workers in the leather and the clothing industries, campaigns actively against child labour. In 1996 it drew the attention of the Swedish president of the European football organisation, UEFA, to the fact that the footballs used in major tournaments are manufactured by small children in Pakistan. The UEFA president, Lennart Johansson, answered that he and the other representatives of the sport shared the union's view on child labour. Mr Johansson in turn took up the matter with the international football organisation, FIFA, and in September the same year FIFA made an agreement with three international trade union confederations not to order footballs manufactured by children. As a result, the world's leading sports-equipment companies decided to invest in projects to abolish child labour in Pakistani football factories.
Most of the factories are situated in the town of Sialkot and one of them is owned by Kurshid Soofi. Mr Soofi is also chair of the committee against child labour of the town's chamber of commerce. On 13 February 1998, he visited Industrifacket to talk about the work for the abolition of child labour in Sialkot. The meeting was also attended by Eshan Ullah Khan of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front, who lives in exile in Sweden. Mr Soofi stated that no footballs used during the World Cup in summer 1998 will be manufactured by children.
"They work with a social programme where they support the families so the children do not have to work to help support the families, but can go to school instead", says a spokesperson for the trade union. The experience of the Sialkot project has been so promising that Mr Soofi promised to welcome a study group from Industrifacket which works with another project against child labour in the carpet industry.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1998), Pakistani factory owner visits Swedish union in project against child labour, article.
