Germany to host the UEFA Euro 2024

Germany has won the bid to host the European Football Championship in 2024. This was decided today by the UEFA Executive Committee in Nyon, Switzerland.

With the announcement, preparations will begin immediately for the preparations for the UEFA Euro 2024.  Although many of the stadiums have been built, there will be construction of other projects related to the Games.  More importantly, there will be a need to hire workers in the facilities management and cleaning sector---industries that are also represented by BWI and its German affiliate IG BAU.  The BWI and IG BAU demands that UEFA take full responsibility to ensure that workers’ rights will be protected in all parts of the preparations for the game.

“Unfortunately, UEFA has a poor record when it comes to protecting the lives of workers. Before the 2012 UEFA Cup in Ukraine and Poland, at least 20 construction workers died building stadiums and infrastructure. We will not tolerate any more workplace deaths in the name of sports and hope that UEFA has learned its lesson,” says Ambet Yuson, general secretary of the BWI.

“This should be a day for German football fans to celebrate but also demand that both UEFA and the government take responsibility. They must be able to guarantee that the workers’ welfare is protected at every steps of the preparations and that there are sufficient monitoring mechanisms to make sure that all contractors and sub-contractors involved in the construction, facilities management, and cleaning sectors follow the rules.  Germany has an opportunity to show Europe and the whole world how a country can host a mega-sporting event free from labour rights and human rights violations.” says BWI’s deputy president Dietmar Schäfers,