Migration is not a crime. BWI affiliates reject race-based persecutions. |
Mega sporting events like the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, and other global tournaments are celebrated as triumphs of athleticism, unity, and national pride. But behind the spectacle, these events often leave a troubling legacy of human rights violations, displacement, and exploitation.
No Worker Left Behind
Migration is Not a Crime. Exploitation Is.
The global labour movement, including the BWI, issued a strong response. Unions highlighted systemic failures that make migrants more vulnerable to exploitation, including forced labour, unsafe recruitment, blocked access to trade unions, and discrimination against women and LGBTIQ+ migrants.
Stop the Deportations
End Forced Removals
Detention, raids, and mass expulsions destroy families and communities while hiding the real causes of exploitation.
Halt the Expulsions
Migrant workers are being criminalized instead of protected their rights and lives must come before border politics.
Protect Workers
Those who build our cities and economies deserve dignity, safety, and legal pathways — not fear, violence, and expulsion.
Latest news
Southern Africa: Mental Health integrated into OSH Rights
The BWI Southern Africa Construction Network (SACONET) hosted an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Mental Health Workshop on 23-25 September 2026 in Harare, Zimbabwe, in collaboration with 3F, bringing together 24 trade union representatives and labour inspectors rom seven BWI affiliates from six countries. Grounded in ILO Conventions C155 and C187, the workshop redefined workplace safety by integrating psychological wellness into core OSH frameworks and positioning mental health as a fundamental workers' right.
Serbia: New collective agreement strengthens workers’ heat stress protection
A new Special (Branch) Collective Agreement for the Construction and Building Materials Industry of Serbia introduces a binding commitment for employers to implement occupational safety and health measures when work is carried out in extremely high or low temperatures. The agreement was signed on 7 August 2026 by Saša Torlaković
Workers drive implementation of Pakistan’s historic construction safety law
In the past month, BWI and its Pakistani affiliate, the Pakistan Federation of Building and Wood Workers (PFBWW), have held two Workers’ Assemblies at Tarbela Dam in Pakistan, bringing workers together to strengthen occupational safety and health and support the implementation of the country’s new construction safety framework. The activities follow Pakistan’s historic decision to become the first country in the world to adopt the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction as legally binding national law.
Find all resources regarding the cost of mega sporting events.
Here, you'll find policy documents, reports, and key resources on labor exploitation in mega sporting events, corporate and government accountability, workers' testimonies, and the actions needed to demand justice and fair conditions.
Adapting to the Heat – 2025 Edition
A comprehensive report on existing global responses to protect workers in construction, building materials, wood, and forestry industries from rising temperatures (June 2025).
TOO HOT TO WORK
Eyes on the campaign goals focusing on extreme heat and its impact on workers, its global mitigation, and BWI actions toward COP30 and BWI 6th World Congress.
Protecting Migrant Workers in an Overheating Planet
A policy paper serving as a comprehensive guide on how governments and global industry leaders can implement measures to safeguard the rights of migrant workers in the face of escalating climate impacts (November 2023).
HEAT UP WORKERS RIGHTS MEDIA RESOURCES
Posters, factsheets, videos, etc...
