Garment workers at Adidas' Shen Zhou factory in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, make Olympic Games merchandise. |
Sportswear giant and Olympic sponsor Adidas, which produced the official Team GB outfit, is facing scrutiny after revelations that their official merchandise for the London Games is being made by Cambodian garment workers who are paid basic wages of only US$15(£10) a week.
The London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has launched an investigation after workers at Adidas's Shen Zhou factory in Cambodia told the Daily Telegraph they earned a basic salary of US$61 (£40) a month for working eight hours a day, six days a week, plus a US$5 (£3) allowance for healthcare.
Adidas is believed to have invested £100 million in the Games and is one of the event's largest sponsors. The firm manufactured the official Team GB outfit, which was designed by Stella McCartney. However, workers at the company's Shen Zhou factory on the outskirts of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh work up to 10 hours a day, six days a week, according to the report in the Daily Telegraph.
In response, Adidas said that workers at the factory make an average of US$130 (£83) a month and would receive a wage increase from September. An Adidas spokesman said: "We are confident we are adhering to and, in fact, exceeding the high standards set by LOCOG."