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Olympic Firms 'Using Child Labour'

Child labour is being used by makers of official Beijing 2008 Olympic merchandise, it has been claimed.

The TUC claims children as young as 12 are being employed to produce the bags, headgear and other merchandise that will be sold to visitors of the China games.  Exploitation amongst adult workers is also rife, the TUC and Labour Behind the Label say. 

They claim their researchers also found adults earning just 14p per hour (half the legal minimum wage in China) and employees who were made to work up to 15 hours per day, seven days a week. 

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Children and adult workers are being grossly exploited so that unscrupulous employers can make more profit.  "Their actions tarnish the Olympic ideal and we don't want more of the same when the Olympics come to London." 

Maggie Burns, chairman of Labour Behind the Label, added:  "If London is to raise the bar, it will need to be creative and ambitious, but it will also need to put enough resources in place."