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?