Girls’ soccer team challenges SAK leaders to penalty shoot-out

News from the 17th SAK Congress

The Congress of the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions &#;8211 SAK also found time for a sporting event on Monday evening. Ahead of this month’s World Cup in Germany, a team of ten year-old girls challenged the SAK leadership to a penalty competition. The girls also trounced the more experienced trade union leaders both in goal scoring and in speed on the ball.

This enjoyable sporting diversion was the brainchild of the Finnish Chemical Workers' Union, which is concerned at anomalies in soccer equipment manufacturing.

Some of the worst problems in this area are the low wages, unreasonable hours and working conditions, and violations of human and trade union rights of subcontractor employees in third-world countries.

The Chemical Workers' Union is involved in a long-sustained international trade union campaign to call attention to the most unacceptable aspects of the sports clothing and sporting equipment business. The slogan of this campaign is “Fair Play, Equal Rules”.

The Chemical Workers' Union is sponsoring the Villikissat Helsinki girls’ soccer team, which uses only Fair Trade soccer balls. The union has also made sure that the team wears soccer boots, shirts and socks that are manufactured under ethically acceptable conditions. The original idea was to equip the girls exclusively with products made in Finland, but this proved impossible as there are no Finnish manufacturers of soccer balls and boots.