26 September 2016: A long-term study of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) ‘Better Work’ programme found that it has resulted in both a better quality of life for workers, and increased profitability for businesses. Better Work seeks to improve garment factory conditions in seven countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Nicaragua and Viet Nam.
The Better Work programme was established in 2007 in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). It trains supervisors and monitors labor conditions to improve work practices, including by: ending forced overtime and excessively long hours, closing the gender pay gap, and guarding against sexual harassment and dismissal threats. The programme engages with 1,300 garment factories in the seven countries, employing over 1.6 million workers.
Researchers from Tufts University (US), who have been involved with Better Work since it began, conducted the impact evaluation. Their report is based on 15,000 survey responses from garment factory workers and 2,000 responses from factory managers in five countries. According to the report, titled ‘The Impact of Better Work,’ the programme has resulted in better working conditions while also improving profit margins for factory owners, in a “win-win outcome” for all concerned. One example of such gains is seen in production lines where female line supervisors have been trained in supervisory skills, resulting in increased productivity of 22%, compared with lines where the supervisors have not received such training.
Better Work grew out of the ILO’s Better Factories Cambodia project, which was established in 2001 to improve working conditions for garment workers. The project was originally linked to a trade agreement with the US that provided preferential market access to Cambodian garment factories in exchange for improving working conditions.
The Governments of Australia, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland and US support the ILO Better Work Programme. [ILO Press Release] [Better Work Webpage on Impact Evaluation] [Better Work Programme] [The Impact of Better Work]