FIFA-BWI safe working conditions deal

Image: FIFA

The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and FIFA have signed a new collaboration agreement that sets a framework for joint inspections, training and reporting to promote decent and safe working conditions for all the workers involved in the construction and renovation of stadiums and other infrastructure linked to the FIFA tournaments.

‘INSIDE FIFA’ stated that the agreement – signed by the BWI President Per-Olof Sjöö and the FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström – on the occasion of the BWI’s 20^th anniversary – runs until 2030 and establishes a formal structure for cooperation between both the organizations.

Geneva (Switzerland)-based the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) is the global union federation of democratic and free trade unions in the building, building materials, wood, forestry, and allied industries.

 
‘INSIDE FIFA’ further stated that under the accord the BWI and FIFA will:

• Conduct joint labor inspections of FIFA World Cup™ and other FIFA tournament-related worksites, ensuring worker confidentiality and protection from retaliation in line with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Labour Inspection Convention 081;
• Engage in training and capacity-building for workers’ representatives, grievance handling and occupational health and safety;
• Ensure corrective action and remedy: When adverse impacts are identified that FIFA will engage with the relevant third parties to secure a time-bound corrective action plan which both the organizations will assess and follow up until resolution; and
• Publish annual joint summary reports through the Human Rights and Sustainability Sub-Committee at FIFA which identifies progress, lessons and remaining challenges.

 
The FIFA and BWI have cooperated for more than a decade to address the working conditions related to the FIFA World Cup™. Their collaboration began over a decade ago and deepened through extensive engagement in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ between the BWI, FIFA and the Qatar-based Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy which was tasked with delivering the proposed tournament venues and host country planning and operations and where inspections, dialog and training initiatives contributed to improved occupational safety, grievance mechanisms and awareness of labor standards.

The new agreement consolidates these experiences into a formal and lasting platform between the FIFA and BWI for dialog, monitoring, prevention, and remedy ensuring that the lessons learned is applied and that violations, where identified, are addressed in a transparent and timely way.

With upcoming confirmed global tournaments in Canada, Mexico and the United States (2026), Brazil (2027), Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay (2030), North and Central America (2031), and Saudi Arabia (2034) the collaboration will be implemented across diverse political and industrial contexts. Both organizations acknowledge the importance of maintaining transparency, accountability and constructive engagement to ensure that the workers’ rights are respected throughout the relevant supply chains.

Shared Ambet Yuson, General Secretary, BWI, “This agreement builds on years of experience and critical partnership. It provides a clear process not only to monitor but also to prevent and remedy abuses ensuring that commitments to human rights translate into concrete improvements for the workers.”

Maintained Mattias Grafström, FIFA Secretary General, “Like the Building and Wood Workers’ International the FIFA takes workers’ rights very seriously. It is essential that all workers involved in projects connected to the FIFA tournaments enjoy good working conditions, a fair income, safety in the workplace, social protection and integration. We want to ensure that everyone benefits when a country hosts a FIFA tournament and that includes those who build the infrastructure.”

Geneva (Switzerland)-based the International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labor standards.

The Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) is a Qatari Government agency established in 2011 to oversee the planning and delivery of infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ and ensure a lasting legacy from the event.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

• Tags »
• Building and Wood Workers’ International

« Previous News: Ratiopharm Arena in-fine-fettle naming deal
» Next News: Build team picked for new Philly arena