ILO/EU Textile Training Project

Worker - Management Education Project For Supply Chain Factories on Productivity And Working Conditions The apparel industry is one of the world’s largest employers. It is an industry that has witnessed a major transformation in the last fifty years with a shift from domestic sourcing in industrialised countries by Multinational Enterprises to business models based on outsourcing from developing countries with lower production and labor costs. The formerly dominant model of rigidly hierarchical firms manufacturing goods within wholly owned facilities in national operations for local markets has given way to transnational operations of alliances and supplier-based manufacturing that serve a range of global markets.

Worker - Management Education Project For Supply Chain Factories on Productivity And Working Conditions

The apparel industry is one of the world’s largest employers. It is an industry that has witnessed a major transformation in the last fifty years with a shift from domestic sourcing in industrialised countries by Multinational Enterprises to business models based on outsourcing from developing countries with lower production and labor costs. The formerly dominant model of rigidly hierarchical firms manufacturing goods within wholly owned facilities in national operations for local markets has given way to transnational operations of alliances and supplier-based manufacturing that serve a range of global markets.

This shift in business relations has, among other thing, lead to a related increase in pressure upon Multinational Enterprise suppliers.

This project funded by the European Commission and carried out by the International Labour Organization is designed to provide assistance to Multinational Enterprise supplier factories in the textile and clothing sector to meet the challenges confronting them. The project aims to bridge this gap by training both – workers and managers on issues related to quality, productivity and work place conditions with a focus on worker-management relations.

The training will be delivered on a modular basis. The project offers core materials covering 8 topics including globalisation and changing nature of productivity, international labour standards, productivity, building trust, collective bargaining, human resource and skills development, gender, health and safety at the work place. Companies may indicate their priorities.

The advisory committee of the project is comprising of TEKSİF (Textile, Knitting and Clothing Industry Workers' Union of Turkey), TEKSTİL-İŞ (Textile Employees' Union), ÖZ-İPLİK İŞ, Turkish Textile Employers' Association, EURATEX (European Apparel and Textile Organisation), FSE-THC (European Federation of Trade Unions for Textile Clothing and Leather) European Commission and ILO representatives.

The European Commission considers the project as an important step to raise awareness for the importance, benefits and obligations of social dialogue within the workers’ and employers’ communities, which could facilitate future discussions about the implementation of European social policy in Turkey. Participating enterprises will therefore be able to serve as models of companies of excellence for successful social dialogue in the European arena.

This project was completed at the end of 2004.