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The ILO's WISE (Work Improvements in Small Enterprise) programme is one of the most powerful and successful ILO training and intervention methodologies. It makes improvement of working conditions an essential part of the developmental process of enterprises. A version of WISE addressing the specific needs of the garment industry has been used as a key tool by a USDOL-funded ILO project in Haiti. The project provides training and advice to enterprises in the garment assembly sector, members of the Association of Haitian Industry (ADIH), to improve working conditions and productivity.
WISE is now fully accepted by participating enterprise owners and managers, who now view this ILO approach as both cost and quality oriented and are therefore conscious of the benefit to their enterprises of continuing to improve working conditions. Working conditions are now equated with rising morale, productivity and increased profits. The readiness of enterprises to embrace WISE-based training and hence to take practical action to improve working conditions has been facilitated by their moves to concurrently improve access to markets, e.g. through WRAP certification.
Improvements in working conditions have been recorded in all 12 participating enterprises and some non-participating enterprises in the Haitian garment assembly sector as well, reaching an estimated 5,400 workers, of whom 65 per cent are women. Below are a few examples from amongst a large number of improvements that have been made by enterprises participating in the project.
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