FIFA officials signed have signed contract with BWI
The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and FIFA have signed a new collaboration agreement that sets a framework for joint inspections, training, and reporting to promote decent and safe working conditions for all workers involved in the construction and renovation of stadiums and other infrastructure linked to FIFA tournaments.
The agreement signed by BWI President Per-Olof Sjöö and FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström on the occasion of the BWI’s 20th anniversary runs until 2030 and establishes a formal structure for cooperation between both organisations. Under the accord, BWI and FIFA will:
Are you the coach? – Fans react to Kurt Okraku’s remarks on players who rejected Ghana
Conduct joint labour inspections of FIFA World Cup™ and other FIFA tournament-related worksites, ensuring worker confidentiality and protection from retaliation, in line with International Labour Organization (ILO) Labour Inspection Convention 081,
Engage in training and capacity building for workers’ representatives, grievance handling, and occupational health and safety,
Ensure corrective action and remedy: when adverse impacts are identified that FIFA will engage with relevant third parties to secure a time-bound corrective action plan, which both organisations will assess and follow up until resolution, and
Publish annual joint summary reports through the Human Rights and Sustainability Sub-Committee at FIFA, which identifies progress, lessons, and remaining challenges.
FIFA and BWI have cooperated for more than a decade to address working conditions related to the FIFA World Cup. Their collaboration began over a decade ago and deepened through extensive engagement in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ between BWI, FIFA, and the Qatar-based Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy which was tasked with delivering the proposed tournament venues and host country planning and operations, and where inspections, dialogue, and training initiatives contributed to improved occupational safety, grievance mechanisms, and awareness of labour standards.
The new agreement consolidates these experiences into a formal and lasting platform between FIFA and BWI for dialogue, monitoring, prevention, and remedy, ensuring that lessons learned are applied and that violations, where identified, are addressed in a transparent and timely way.
With upcoming confirmed global tournaments in Canada, Mexico and the United States (2026), Brazil (2027), Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay (2030), North and Central America (2031), and Saudi Arabia (2034), the collaboration will be implemented across diverse political and industrial contexts.
Both organisations acknowledge the importance of maintaining transparency, accountability, and constructive engagement to ensure that workers’ rights are respected throughout the relevant supply chains.
“This agreement builds on years of experience and critical partnership. It provides a clear process not only to monitor but also to prevent and remedy abuses, ensuring that commitments to human rights translate into concrete improvements for workers.
FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström said: “Like Building and Wood Workers’ International, FIFA takes workers’ rights very seriously. It is essential that all workers involved in projects connected to FIFA tournaments enjoy good working conditions, a fair income, safety in the workplace, social protection and integration. We want to ensure that everyone benefits when a country hosts a FIFA tournament, and that includes those who build the infrastructure,” he said.
Meanwhile, watch the latest Sports Check interview with Alex Kotey, the GFA Referees Manager below:
