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Margreet VrielingInt. verification coordinator
WHAT IS FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION?
• Independent, non-profitrun by business associations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations
• Mission: to improve working conditions in apparel factories
GROUNDED PRINCIPLES
GENERAL APPROACH
Members are responsible for improving conditions in their supply chains.
FWF verifies how well each member is doing, and reports to the public.
FWF METHODOLOGY
• Factory audits assess needs for improvement
• Verification audits verify improvements• No certificates; focus on progress• Audits done by three persons; 3 roles• Use input from stakeholders• Complaints mechanism• Brand performance checks
FWF TODAY
• 80 members, based in 9 countries• > 100 brands• 20,000+ sales outlets in 80+
countries • Fashion, outdoor, work wear &
B2B brands• Monitoring 1200 factories• 500.000 workers• FWF active in 15 countries
FWF IN TURKEY
• 26 Affiliates sourcing • 170 factories supplying• Freelance auditors (15) • Liaison officer/Local complaints handler• Project staff/trainer • Stakeholder network
2nd biggest supplier country FWF members
• Wages (double/triple book keeping)• OT > 60 hrs. per week; Juveniles/Pregnant • No (adequate) leave records• Unregistered workers/Social security• Freedom of Association/Anti-union
discrimination• Unsafe workplaces, harassment• Insufficient communication/consultation
FINDINGS REGARDING SOCIAL COMPLIANCE IN TURKEY
ILO: “Sound industrial relations and effective social dialogue are a means to
promote better wages and working conditions as well as peace and social
justice”
FWF AND SOCIAL DIALOGUE
• The right to freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively are keystone elements in the FWF code
• Respect for these rights is a pre-requisite for the sustainable improvement of labour conditions in the garment industry.
• Communication and consultation at the factory level essential.
FWF AND SOCIAL DIALOGUE
• FWF focus at enterprise level
• Dialogue at factory level is important: – Workers best in place to monitor conditions– Improved dialogue can increase efficiency, lead
to better motivated workforce, avoid conflicts, solve problems, improve social compliance
DIALOGUE AT FACTORY LEVEL
Dialogue between management representative and worker representative
workers' representatives are:- trade union representatives- or freely elected representatives by the workers
whose functions do not include activities which are recognised as the exclusive prerogative of trade unions in the country concerned
WORKER REPRESENTATIVE
• Freely elected • Be able to execute their task• Structure for meetings among worker
representatives and worker representation with management• Workers should have access on who they are,
how to contact them
EFFECTIVE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Some points of attention for an effective grievance procedure:• Worker representatives should be involved. • Workers should be informed about the
procedure and how to make use of it• Workers should receive feed back on follow up
of complaints
FWF FINDINGS ON DIALOGUE AT FACTORY LEVEL IN TURKEY
Insufficient communication and consultation with workers; • Workers not well aware of their rights• No functional worker committees• No functional grievance mechanisms• No union active • No freely elected worker representative
Ceren İşatLocal Liason Officer
SOCIAL DIALOGUE PROGRAMME
Focus on dialogue at factory level
Begin to strengthen supplier factories’ ability to handle improvements of working conditions through dialogue between workers and management
SOCIAL DIALOGUE PROGRAMME
• Implemented at 7 factories, in Istanbul and Denizli
• More than 200 workers participated in training at factories with around 900 workers in total
• Approximately 50 per cent of the participants were women.
SOCIAL DIALOGUE PROGRAMME – MAIN ACTIVITIES
• Gathering input from stakeholders on programme (unions, business associations)
• Local workshops -> Supplier seminars at the start (Istanbul and Izmir)
• Asking feedbacks from stakeholders on content of training programme
• Training programme on communication and conflict resolution (7 factories)
SOCIAL DIALOGUE PROGRAMME – MAİN ACTİVİTİES
• Supporting improving functioning of grievance mechanism at the factory
• Impact assessment• Supplier seminar and stakeholder seminar• Worker tour
SOCIAL DIALOGUE PROGRAMME – CONTENT OF TRAİNİNG
8 modules:• Labor Standards• Communication skills • Channels of communication• Grievance mechanism• Barriers in communication• Conflict resolution/negotiation• Meeting skills • Communication under pressure
• Participatory methods• Small groups• Ongoing communication
with management• Facilitating meetings
SOCİAL DİALOGUE PROGRAMME - METHODOLOGY
RESULTS – INCREASED AWARENESS ON RIGHTS
• FWF Code was not posted at more than half of the factories
• Now Code is posted and impact assessments show that almost all participants learned about the Code elements, especially: working hours H&S living wage no discrimination FWF hotline
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
RESULTS – İNCREASED AWARENESS ON GRİEVANCE MECHANİSM
• Workers and management were not well aware of functioning of a grievance mechanism.• Most factories
underlined open door policy
• Workers used the grievance mechanism at all factories on board.
• 4 factories had improvements for a well functioning grievance mechanism
Worker representatives:•Existence: from 4 factories to 6
•Appointment vs. Election: Elected WRs at 3 factories
RESULTS – INCREASED FUNCTIONING OF MECHANISM
Worker representatives:• Number: increased at
2 factories • Awareness: limited or
no information on WRs – role and responsibility
RESULTS – INCREASED FUNCTIONING OF MECHANISM
“We had a WR before and I knew the person.
But it was like a formality. We did not know his
role. Nobody tried to raise a demand through
him. But now I think the mechanism is more
efficient. There is a worker representative for
each production line. I am the WR for my line. I
receive demands nearly every week. They can
easily ask me to communicate their needs
because we are always together at the same
production line.”
RESULTS – INCREASED FUNCTIONING OF MECHANISM
Grievance boxes• Increased usage/collectively used in 6
factories for collectively formulated demands
• Increased awareness • Duly implementation: WRs’ participation
in opening at 4 factories
Committees/Meetings:•Establishment of grievance/WRs’ committees at 2 factories•Meetings between management and WRs at 1 factory
RESULTS – INCREASED FUNCTIONING OF MECHANISM
•Abolition of ban on leaving factory building during breaks •Formation of praying
room •Providing enough
drinking water for workers
İMPROVEMENTS AS A RESULT OF İNCREASED DİALOGUE AND COLLECTIVE DEMANDS
•No OT during Ramadan •Dining room to be
run by workers with necessary health checks
IMPROVEMENTS AS A RESULT OF INCREASED DIALOGUE AND COLLECTIVE DEMANDS
• Duly payment of benefits/AGI
• Sufficient lighting at production sides
IMPROVEMENTS AS A RESULT OF INCREASED DIALOGUE AND COLLECTIVE DEMANDS
CHALLENGES/LESSONS LEARNED
Change in Groups: Package of 8 modules complementary to each other, designed to be implemented•With same group• Group of 20-30
workers
CHALLENGES/LESSONS LEARNED
Groups’ Profile: • Participation of supervisors (at some
sessions/ on the decision of workers) • Participation of managers (served as a
barrier/ served as a dialogue channel)
CHALLENGES/LESSONS LEARNED
Allocation of insufficient time: • For some sessions because of production
load • For whole programme; which resulted in a
modified package(s) of: Labor standards Communication and grievance mechanism Conflict resolution and negotiation Meeting skills, barriers in communication
CHALLENGES/LESSONS LEARNED
Planning:• done together with factory managements • flexibility was provided
However;• we faced with the problem of cancellation
of sessions by some factories frequently
CHALLENGES/LESSONS LEARNED
Family businesses/need for more professional management systems• Problem of determining the real
responsible • Very powerful supervisors• Lack of division of tasks
CONCLUSİONS
• Being transparent and open to learn and implement new things is an important factor affects the success.
• Training programmes are tools for increased knowledge and enhanced skills, but also;
• An important opportunity for workers to discuss working conditions and formulate collective demands.
CONCLUSİONS
• Professionalized management systems and clear procedures facilitate dialogue between management and workers
“There is a big chance. The system changed totally. Now there are opportunities for us to talk about our problems. We participate in meetings with managers. They listen to our problems. Now we are happier and more productive.”
CONCLUSIONS
• Important to ensure the participation of same group in training, unless it is possible to provide training for all the workers at a workplace.
• Separate modules for supervisors• Interactive/participatory training is important
for demands formulating• Trade unions have best knowledge on workers
rights, but lack access to factories • Flexible but serious planning
Questions?