As has been noted on this site many times, the construction projects for the Olympics 2004 in Athens are seriously behind schedule.
In order to speed things along, something which had the planning and construction work been done in a professional manner would not be necessary; the Greek authorities have employed thousands of illegal labourers from Eastern Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
It is reported that their working conditions are squalid, to say the least; a 14 hour day in 40 degrees, with no water or electricity. The workers have no insurance or permits, they earn around 20 Euros a day (the minimum wage in Greece is 30 Euros a day).
This "slave labour" is no overnight phenomenon, but has been in place for the last four years. Where was to International Olympic Committee (IOC) during this time?
Aside form the squalid conditions, the safety aspect is also a disgrace; to date 14 workers have died, and there have been 180 serious injuries (Sydney recorded 1 death and only a handful of serious injuries).
Is this something that the IOC, the Greek authorities and the Olympic sponsors should be proud of?
I don't think so.
Precisely how many dead bodies does it take to expose the disgraceful organisation of this event, and to get official sponsors and competing nations to do some serious soul searching about attending the Games?
In case you are wondering, the official response from the Greek government is that "accidents happen, people die".
How very compassionate!
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