Switzerland’s State
Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has announced that it will continue to
support Better Work, a flagship programme of the International Labour
Organization jointly managed by the International Finance Corporation. The
four-year investment aims to help lift millions of people out of poverty by
promoting decent work.The programme will also drive business
competitiveness and encourage inclusive economic growth in the global garment
industry. This sector employs some 60 million people across the developing
world and 80 per cent of them are women.
The announcement came on the first day of the World Trade Organization’s
''Aid for Trade'' conference currently underway in Geneva. In order to reach even
more people along the garment supply chain, SECO will continue to support the
programme in Asia and especially in its partner countries Indonesia and Vietnam
with a contribution of 12 million Swiss francs ($12,470,000 dollars) between
2017 and 2021. It represents Switzerland’s firm commitment to enhancing
international trade and competitiveness while also creating more and better jobs
that support countries'' social and economic development.
Switzerland has been a core donor of Better Work since 2009, helping the
programme grow to reach 1,450 clothing and footwear factories and 1.9 million
workers across four continents.Better Work’s recent
independent impact assessment demonstrated the programme’s ability to improve
working conditions while boosting firm performance and enhancing the lives of
workers and their families. The report showed, for example, that factories
participating in the programme achieved up to a 25 per cent increase in
profitability. Furthermore it says that Better Work had a notable and positive
impact on working conditions such as abusive practices, weekly pay, contracts
and working hours.The report also indicated that
Better Work has decreased the gender pay gap by up to 17 per cent, and that
empowering women is a key step to improving working conditions and productivity
of workers as well as the health and education of their children.
"As delegates from around the world gather in Geneva to discuss how trade
can support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
Better Work provides a concrete and successful example of how better business
practices promote decent work, gender equality and better living conditions for
millions of people," said Raymund Furrer, head of economic cooperation and
development, SECO.Switzerland’s commitment to Better Work will continue to help
us significantly scale our impact," said Dan Rees, director of the
programme at the International Labour Organization. "As part of our new
strategy, we will leverage existing and new partnerships to expand our reach to
workers tenfold, influence business practices in the international garment
industry and use our data and experience to reshape the global policy dialogue
on decent work."Switzerland along with Australia, the Netherlands and the
US is a major development partner to Better Work, and collaborates closely with
representatives of international apparel brands, academia, unions and
employers’ organisations to provide strategic inputs to the programme.
Source: The Swazi Observer, Swaziland Tuesday, 04 July 2017