Olympic Operator Accused Of Forced Labour

The facility management arm of French company Vinci Construction, which two months ago secured a 25-year contract to run the venue built for the 2012 Olympics, is the subject of a complaint from French campaign group Sherpa. Vinci’s Qatar subsidiary QDVC, which has contracts worth $2.4 billion in the Gulf state, is accused of allowing forced labour on construction projects for Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup soccer finals.

Vinci is accused of confiscating workers’ passports, which Sherpa says amounts to using “forced labour” and “keeping someone in servitude.” Vinci rebuts the allegations and says it will sue Sherpa for severely damaging its image. A spokesman said the company respects local labour laws and fundamental rights in Qatar.

Although Mayor of London Boris Johnson announced Vinci got the Olympic contract at the beginning of February, it was already common knowledge that it had won the tendering process and was even reported to have people on the site to set up its administrative office. There were rumours among the London music business that the official announcement was delayed because the decision to award the contract to a French firm may prove controversial.

AEG and Live Nation – both American outfits with major London bases – had earlier dropped out of the bidding. This is not the first time Vinci has had problems with its Labour relations. Last year it was one of a number of construction firms at odds with GMB, a general union representing more than 631,000 workers, over the alleged blacklisting of some of its members.