Play Fair Russia meeting

The PERC and its affiliated organisations in Russia – the FNPR and the KTR – organsed a working meeting to consider implementation of the Play Fair campaign in Russia in relations to the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014 and the World Football Cup in Russia in 2018.

Play Fair is a global campaign that involves different international trade union federations and NGOs, such as the ITUC, the Global Union Federation for the Textiles, Leather and Garment industry (ITGLWF), the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), and the Clean Clothes Campaign, which is an international alliance of NGOs and trade unions working to improve workers’ rights and working conditions in the industry.

The ITUC campaign officer Kristin Blom outlined the main achievements of the campaign, suggested several areas that unions of Russian could further explore to get actively engaged into the campaign and to use campaign experiences in improving labour conditions in Russia - migrant labour, textile and souvenir industries. Mikail Kartashov, the coordinator of BWI, spoke about BWI experiences in relation to the World Cup in South Africa and to the coming European Cup in Poland and Ukraine.

Nina Kuzmina, the Vice-President of the FNPR, informed that the FNPR had already joined the campaign in 2010, when it had submitted the ITUC report and campaign documents to the Russian Olympic Committee and to the government. She suggested using the resource of the Russian Tripartite Commission to get state official involved and motivated, as well as to involve provincial Olympic public councils to bring the message upwards. Boris Kravchenko, the KTR President, suggested setting up a team of campaigners – to plan and to direct the campaign, which the KTR was also committed to, particularly referring to the resources of "Stop agency labour" campaign of Russian unions.

During discussion the participants shared information and experience in the related sectors and regions and decided to reflect upon the campaign options and to make detailed planning at the next meeting that could take place in summer 2012.

Blom presentation