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For a second I almost forgot where the 2008 Olympics were supposed to be held… China accused of Olympics merchandise child labour. Not exactly the best way to get back into the news concerning the Olympics.

Chinese factories are churning out licensed bags, caps and stationery for the 2008 Beijing Olympics using child labour and paying workers less than half the minimum wage, a reports says. As members of the International Olympics Committee (IOC) gather in London for a progress update on the 2012 Games, the report — “No Medal for the Olympics” — finds evidence of children as young as 12 producing Olympic merchandise. The Playfair Alliance, represented in Britain by the Trades Union Congress and Labour Behind the Label, researched working conditions at four factories making 2008 Olympic bags, headgear, stationery and other products. “It also reveals that factory owners are falsifying employment records, and forcing workers to lie about their wages and conditions,” the TUC said in a release. Researchers also found adults earning half the legal minimum wage in China and employees who were made to work up to 15 hours per day, seven days a week.

Grueling work schedule – 15 hour days / 7 days a week.