Better Work Viet Nam - Phase II (Irish Aid)

Irish Aid will make available a contribution of EUR 100,000 towards Better Work Vietnam – Second Phase. The Better Work Vietnam programme, a partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), aims to reduce poverty by expanding decent work opportunities through improving labour standards and competitiveness of apparel factories. The program became operational in July 2009. Since that time, BWV has been able to help secure a continued global market for apparel produced in Vietnam and improve working conditions for factory workers engaged in the sector. It does this by combining assessments of factories’ compliance with labour standard with targeted advisory and training services. This helps factories to differentiate themselves in the international market by increasing their overall competitiveness and meeting buyer demands for socially responsible sourcing. In the second phase, outcome-based strategies are applied to make sure that consideration is given to servicing more factories in a wider geographic area in order to reach the desired movement towards a compliance culture. Moreover, BWV is reaching for impact beyond individual factories. To achieve this, BWV is strengthening the way it conveys to and instils in factory management an appreciation of the business benefits being shown to flow from BWV interventions and labour standards’ compliance. This is necessary to assure that the demand for BWV services from producing factories overtakes and eventually replaces that of buyers as the dominant incentive for compliance-minded factory management and participation in the programme. In sum, BWV musters globalizations’ market forces for the improvement of labour standards, working conditions, incomes and job opportunities for the ultimate benefit of workers and their families. Intensified factory level social dialogue is seen as an important way forward and is pursued in collaboration with the MoLISA, VCCI, and VGCL. Core services based on the new service model are implemented, meeting demands from industry stakeholders and the need for increased efficiency. Initiatives to enhance impact are pursued. Systematic measures are taken to use relevant BWV experiences to help inform discussions on labour policy, law and institution reforms.

Project symbol

VIE/13/07/IRL

Admin unit

BETTERWORK

Start date

04/12/2013

End date

30/06/2015

Total allocation

129919

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

129919

Development Partners

Ireland, Irish Aid

Country/Countries

Viet Nam

Outcomes

Decent Work in Economic Sectors