Oxfam’s report, "Offside! Labor Rights and Sportswear Production in Asia," found that workers making clothes, shoes and other goods for global sports brands have been dismissed or threatened with violence when they have organized unions to lobby for better pay and conditions. The majority of Asian sportswear workers are women from poor communities, many supporting children and families. Oxfam says that none of the big sports brands are doing enough to solve the problem.
Oxfam’s year-long survey of 12 sporting labels found that FILA, a major US-based sponsor in world tennis, was bottom of the league and had failed to address serious labor abuses in its supply chain. In one case, a FILA sport shoe supplier in Indonesia with an appalling record of worker abuse closed suddenly and without warning. A year later, none of its 3,500 workers have received any back-pay or severance pay. FILA refuses to reveal its role in the closure or take responsibility for the workers.