Enhancing the capacity of the Workers’ Center to respond to the needs of migrant workers

The ILO is working to further develop the Workers’ Center through enhancing the capacity of its staff and improving the Center’s services and activities.

© Nadia Bseiso/ILO November 2014

Summary

Over two thirds of Jordan’s nearly 60,000 apparel workers are migrants from South and South-East Asia. The majority of migrant workers originate from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Al Hassan Workers’ Center was established to meet the needs of factory workers in Jordan’s industrial zones who lack access to legal advice, psychological counselling, educational courses and recreational facilities.

Since its establishment in 2014, the Center has quickly become an integral part of many migrant workers’ lives. In its first six months of operation, services in the Center have grown to serve over 1,000 workers per week, offering them skills training, access to legal aid, social, and health opportunities, and support in the event of gender based violence. In the next two years of the project, the ILO will continue to support the Workers’ Center to refine and expand current services, establishing formal psycho-social and health components at the Center and facilitate the establishment of a second Workers’ Center in another industrial zone.

Objectives

  • Enhance the capacity of staff in order to manage the Workers’ Center activities in a strategic manner;
  • develop the services for workers, as well as equip them to manage, deliver, and benefit from the services at the center in a participatory manner;
  • empower apparel workers by improving their access to legal, psychosocial and educational services and improve their well-being by providing access to recreational facilities;
  • transition the Al Hassan Workers’ Center to a sustainable model that informs plans for subsequent Workers’ Centers; and
  • facilitate the establishment of a second workers center in Ad Dulayl Industrial Park to be open to workers during the course of the project.

Activities

  • Developing human resources, administrative and financial systems in efforts to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the Workers’ Center;
  • orienting and training staff on negotiation, conflict resolution, gender equality, and effective teamwork in efforts to build their capacities to better run the Workers’ Center are strengthened;
  • further developing the services of the Center for workers in efforts to increase workers knowledge in their rights and equip them to manage, deliver, and benefit from the services at the center in a participatory manner; current services include:
  1. Mental health and psychosocial services according to workers’ needs, including basic psycho-education and non-specialized mental health and psychosocial services, as well as basic counselling and case management. The Centre also has the capacity to refer workers who require specialized protection and therapeutic services to a partner located outside the zones
  2. Basic legal to workers through weekly counselling sessions provided by a partner NGO. It is expected that through these legal services, workers will receive assistance to address instances of discrimination, harassment, forced labour, and other labour violations known to be occurring at apparel factories in Jordan
  3. Various trainings for workers to improve their job and life skills, in topics including literacy and language skills, computer skills, basic organizing and legal rights
  4. Recreation facilities, including a canteen, a gym, a football field, and a space for socialization are available at the Center
  • updating the Sustainability Model for the Center in light of the expanded scope of services offered by the Al Hassan Workers’ Center reflecting cooperative principles and options and including suggestions of future funding sources; and
  • conducting a feasibility study and developing a model for the establishment of a Workers’ Center in a second industrial zone based on the model of the Al Hassan Workers’ Center.

Outcomes

  • Staff will have enhanced their capacities in order to manage the Workers’ Center activities in a strategic manner;
  • services for workers will be expanded, workers’ knowledge of their rights will be increased, and workers will be equipped to manage, deliver, and benefit from the services at the center following self-governance principles; and
  • the Al Hassan Workers’ Center will be transitioned to a sustainable model that informs plans for subsequent Workers’ Centers.