Major events could give unions a sporting chance

The potential for and pitfalls of union organising around major sports events such as the London Olympics and the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa are to be examined at a seminar in Cardiff next month.

The guest speakers at the event on 14 February will be Stewart Acuff, director of organising at the US union federation AFL-CIO, and Doug Miller of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation. Acuff played a key role in campaigning around the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, while Miller is working on the Play Fair 2008 campaign – which exerts pressure on companies to eliminate the exploitation and abuse of workers in the global sporting goods industry – in the run-up to this year’s Beijing Games.

For details of the seminar, which is co-sponsored by the Wales TUC and Cardiff University’s Centre for Global Labour Research, call Sian Moseley on 029 2087 4983 or email [email protected]