Fair Wear NSW Newsletter Olympic 2000 Edition

Fair Wear Campaigners to the marshalling area please ... Fair Wear Campaigners.We've been training hard, and now we're going for a gold medal in Utilising International Media for Good Rather Than Evil. The Olympics promises to be an opportunity for the gulf between individual athletes' enormous endorsements and the wages of the workers making their goods to be highlighted. Sports beefcake Nike are a major Olympic sponsor, and anyone unfortunate enough to be allergic to their swoosh will be doing some serious sneezing for the next month (yes, even more than usual).

Alternative Opening Ceremony, September 11 at 6pm in Victoria Park - next to Sydney Uni

We will be asking whether Nike's practices live up to the Olympic ideals. As an alternative Olympic event it's free. Please come along and tell others about it. The enclosed flyer will tell you a bit about why Nike is being particularly focused upon during the time of the Olympics. For more information, you can check www.nikewages.org and www.caa.org.au/sweatshops

We've also had Nike campaign T-Shirts made up with 'Just Stop It.' on the front. They are $15, and you can contact the Fair Wear office about obtaining one.

HOMEWORKERS CODE OF PRACTICE COMMITTEE

On a national level, the Homeworkers Code of Practice Committee is gearing up for the launch of a labelling system. The labelling will be backed by an accreditation process, and companies who have previously signed the Code of Practice have started to receive letters asking them to provide information for their accreditation. If they are accredited they will be allowed to use a sew-in label on their clothes (depicted below). We anticipate the launch taking place November 1st in Melbourne. We envisage distributing a consolidated list of Code signatories based on willingness to provide accreditation, as opposed to the current situation which effectively only involves the signing of the Code.

EMAIL LIST

We have now established a simple system of information distribution. This will consist of interested campaigners e-mailing the office: fairwear@awatw.org.au and requesting to be added to the list. Your name will then be joined, and you will subsequently receive newsletters and calls to action by that means. Please do not fear bombardment by large volumes of junk mail. It will be for relevant and riveting announcements only. You are encouraged (begged) to join the list as it represents the most effective means of information dissemination available.

FAIR SCHOOL WEAR

There are currently nine school uniform suppliers that have signed the Homeworkers Code of Practice and twenty seven schools that have signed the statement of commitment.

We're also aware that some schools are making enquiries about the making of their uniforms without having sent back the statement of commitment.

We have produced a speakers kit that has been developed for use by parents, teachers or students making a presentation within their own school community about the campaign. It contains all the tools necessary to present the issue to a group, including overhead transparencies. Please contact the Fair Wear office if you are interested in using one of these kits in your local school, or just getting more information on the campaign.