Monday, February 8, 2010

Trade Union Congress Calls World Cup a 'Great Rip Off'

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is calling the World Cup a "great rip off" for the Western Cape, arguing the event is draining jobs.

"The Western Cape is losing jobs as a result of Fifa's actions. It seems that whilst in the rest of the country Fifa and the World Cup related activities are growing the economy, the Western Cape is being prejudiced," the union federation's provincial secretary, Tony Ehrenreich said in a statement.

"The clothes and mascots are being made in sweat shops in China. Traders were excluded from the soccer stadium precinct and the city centre. The companies trying to manufacture local soccer-related merchandise are being taken to court. The beer deals are leading to all beer being foreign and imported, and buses used for the World Cup are being imported, when we could be manufacturing them," he charged.

Cosatu: World Cup a rip off for Western Cape
Independent Online
February 5, 2010