Scotland v Qatar game - SFA must challenge Qatar on workers rights

Thu 4 June 2015

 From Simon McFarlane, secretary UNISON Scotland International Committee:

As you will have seen the FIFA story is continuing to grow and run. We need to ensure everything possible is done to keep focus on labour rights in Qatar. There is a lot of activity around the Scotland v Qatar game tomorrow (Friday 5 June) in Edinburgh. The SFA have so far done little to challenge Qatar on workers’ rights (over 1,400 deaths and the Kafala system – all power lies with employer including whether you can leave).

If you can get to Edinburgh tomorrow and join the campaigning activities, please do so, details below. If you can’t please support the campaign in other ways. One simple thing you can do is print off an A4 message from the Playfair Qatar site and post a selfie of yourself holding it up (ideally with a football top on) , see: http://playfairqatar.org.uk/#section-fans-photos and http://playfairqatar.org.uk/scotland-v-qatar-june-5-2015/ .   

There’s a Facebook page for tomorrow at https://www.facebook.com/events/1639123382985614/ 

Please tweet a message with the hashtags #reclaimthegame #playfairqatar

Details for rendezvous tomorrow:

·      4.00 pm – meet at the Artisan Bar, 35-36 London Road, Abbeyhill, EH7 5BQ

·      between 4.00 and 5.00 – leafleting bars, cafes, restaurants close to the ground – London Rd, Easter Rd, Leith Walk, Duke St etc

·      5.00 – 5.30 – meet at Leith Dockers’ Club, 17 Academy Street, EH6 7EE for “Playfair Qatar” photo opportunity (campaign signs will be available)

·      7.00 – leafleting outside West stand

·      7.45 – the Dockers’ Club will be screening the game for anyone not attending – at the very least, it will give you a chance to look out for any Playfair Qatar signs that make it into the stadium!