Undocumented workers: The hidden workforce behind Paris’s 2024 Olympics

France has won the bid to host the upcoming summer Olympic Games, after receiving the flag from Tokyo. Paris 2024 is estimated to be the first gender-balanced and carbon neutral Olympic games to date, being held 100 years after the last summer Games. Sustainability is heavily emphasised for the upcoming Games, with discussion around using innovative technology to allow attendees to make sustainable choices and accrue points that will support reforestation efforts. The construction of the Athlete’s Village is pledged to use natural and recycled materials as well as green energy.[1]  

There are however already a number of labour rights issues that are becoming a source of political and social tension – namely, the fact it is known that France’s Olympic dreams are being constructed with the hands of undocumented workers. Speaking to Arab News, a Malian national engaged in the construction efforts but holding no valid working papers spoke of the arduous working conditions.[2]  

“I accepted because I know my situation. If you don’t have papers, you do all the hard work, all the crappy jobs. You have no choice,” says Gaye Sarambounou.

Over a three-month period, Sarambounou worked between eight- and 11-hour shifts for €80 per day. He was kicked off an Olympic building site in 2022 following a raid by labor inspectors. 

Although there have been regular checks by the Labour Inspectorate to the point there are now specialised units surveying the Games construction sites, many in the construction industry have admitted that it is impossible to set up a system “entirely impervious” to fraud due to the reliance on subcontractors for labour. Public company Solideo was under fire in June 2022 for having nine irregular workers operating on their sites.[3] Despite taking steps to terminate the contract of the subcontractors, according to undocumented workers themselves, construction workers are still predominantly immigrants and many do not have regularised status.  

“All these beautiful stadiums are built by poor people... who are exploited,” said another Malian worker, who requested anonymity. “It’s always 80 percent immigrants who do the work. You see Malians, Portuguese, Turks. And the French... in the offices!” he added.[4] 

It remains to be seen whether the workers behind France’s Olympic dream will have their papers regularised and receive worker and Union benefits in the near future. For Sarambounou, a left-wing union is helping him to submit an application to receive working papers. For now, they have begun to find their voice and are unafraid to speak out about their situation.    

[1] Source: https://us.france.fr/en/paris/article/paris-olympics-2024 (accessed 30 Jan 2023)

[2] Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2235851/sport (accessed 30 Jan 2023)

[3] Ibid

[4] Ibid