Olympics 2016: At the final stretch, workers face problems in the works

11 April 2016 15:00

In the final stretch to finish the preparatory work for the Olympic 2016, to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 2016, workers are struggling to assert their rights - as payment of the contracts termination, bus passes and others – in three of the works planned for the event.

The workers that are building the works of Labtec, a place that will hold the anti-doping tests, crossed their arms on January 27, 2016 because the company did not pay for two months, the attendance card, food stamps and bus passes of 20 workers of the works which are the responsibility of Odessa Engineering company.

In the works of the Olympic Tennis Centre in the Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca, a conflict between the Consortium ITD (iBeg / Tangram / Damiani) and workers, began last December after about 300 workers are laid off without payment of the contract rescission. After demonstrations and agreement with the Municipal Government of Rio de Janeiro was paid a first installment, but the payment was not total. After Carnival, the total number of laid-off workers rose to 500. According to the SINTRACONST RIO union workers laid off in December should receive the rest of the contract termination this week.

The station being constructed to transmit electricity to the Games facilities were found more than 20 irregularities between them, disrespect of Labor Laws as the absence of weekly off, breach of the collective agreement on minimum wages and other benefits . The work is under SELT Engineering LTD responsibility and has around 180 employees.

The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) has organized the Campaign for Decent Work towards and beyond 2016 since March 2015 with the aim of improving the working conditions of the workers who build the infrastructure for the Olympic Games 2016.