Improved social dialogue fostering industrial peace in garment factories

With continuous engagement with associations (of workers and employees), workers and employers in Hawassa Industrial Park and industrial zones in the Sidama region now see each other as partners with mutual interests.

Stakeholders of the Sidama region garments industrial zone disclosed that improved social dialogue among workers’, employer associations and the government foster industrial peace and improve productivity in garment factories in and around Hawassa Industrial Park.

According to Tewodros Gebiba, Sidama Bureau of Labor and Skills (BoLS), Deputy Head in Charge of Workers and Employers' Affairs, “What creates a conducive and peaceful industrial environment is the relationship among the actors in the sector, particularly the workers, employers and us, the regulators. Hence, social dialogue and worker-employer affairs board are strengthened and proved to be crucial for industrial peace.”

“The Sidama BoLS have been working with the ILO since 2020. Before that there were very few basic trade unions in some industries in Hawassa. However, starting from 2021 we discussed with the ILO and understood that they want to work on unionization, fostering the worker-employer relation, improving industrial peace and the status of occupational safety and health in the region. So, we collaborated with ILO to get technical assistance on these areas.”

Together, we initially conducted a gap-analysis and identified that our labor inspectors need logistic assistance, and capacity building trainings. Accordingly, the ILO Siraye has supported us with motorbikes and laptop computers. Our experts and management were also engaged in capacity building trainings.  In addition to these logistic and technical supports, the ILO has also provided us with financial assistance to aid our work around improving worker employer relations and create a more peaceful industrial environment. 

With the financial support we received from ILO, we have embarked on capacity development around rights, worker, employer relations, ILS, Conventions, etc for Bureau Management, Officials, woreda level experts where we have industrial zones. Now the labor department in general in Sidama knows its’s mandate, its partners, and its goals. In general, we have seen some groundbreaking improvements in the sector. 

“We had more than 20 active factories in Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP), but there were no trade union before we started this intervention. With the support of the ILO, we have helped workers in the industrial park establish trade unions in all the factories inside the park. We have also helped establish OSH committees in all factories.” 

“Previously, it was not possible for our labor inspectors to even enter HIP. Now, our experts can do their inspections efficiently in collaboration with the ILO Siraye Programme in HIP and other factories in Sidama’s industrial zones.”

The technical supports we received from the ILO Siraye programme was multifaceted starting from supporting employers, the government, and workers representatives as well to improve a better tripartite relation through continuous social dialogue and engagement with all actors in the labor sector. 

Chanyalew Aweke, Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) Hawassa Branch Head also agrees with the improvements in terms of unionization. 

“Few years ago, factory workers inside and outside HIP did not have any union and there was no means for the workers to even talk to each other, let alone establish a basic trade union. We also were not allowed to enter HIP’s compound or any of the factories inside the park.  The ILO Siraye programme, Sidama BoLS and CETU had to work hard through continuous consultations and engagement with employers and all stakeholders to change that and start unionizing workers in these factories.” 

Our primary mission here is to make sure workers’ rights are respected through unionization and collective bargaining. When problems arise at workplaces, the hope that we have is to resolve them through collective bargaining and bipartite and tripartite consultations between/among workers and employers as well as the government. 

With this, we are trying to solve issues through bipartite and tripartite consultations, as almost all factory workers are now organized into basic trade unions. The ILO Siraye is highly supportive in relations to the efforts of unionization and promoting social dialogue. Particularly, the ILO Siraye project has supported us with capacity building trainings, women empowerment, experience sharing and building stronger unions. Besides this technical support, the ILO has also hired experts for us and provided necessary logistic and financial assistance. Also considering the vulnerability of comparative disadvantage workers would face, the ILO has empowered us, trade unions very well. 

These all has resulted in the preparation of collective agreements in almost all factories. We’re now working towards the collective benefits of both the companies and workers despite the current market challenges in relation to AGOA and other factors. In making sure no party but especially workers are not disadvantaged in such times, the role the ILO played is paramount. 

Nibret Girma, Executive Director of Hawassa Industrial Park Employers Association, also believes that they have now improved their relationships with workers. 

“Both the employers Stakeholders of the Sidama region garments industrial zone disclosed that improved social dialogue among workers’, employer associations and the government foster industrial peace and improve productivity in garment factories in and around Hawassa Industrial Park. 

According to Tewodros Gebiba, Sidama Bureau of Labor and Skills (BoLS), Deputy Head in Charge of Workers and Employer’s affairs, “What creates a conducive and peaceful industrial environment is the relationship among the actors in the sector, particularly the workers, employers and us, the regulators. Hence, social dialogue and worker-employer affairs board are strengthened and proved to be crucial for industrial peace.” 

“The Sidama BoLS have been working with the ILO since 2020. Before that there were very few basic trade unions in some industries in Hawassa. However, starting from 2021 we discussed with the ILO and understood that they want to work on unionization, fostering the worker-employer relation, improving industrial peace and the status of occupational safety and health in the region. So, we collaborated with ILO to get technical assistance on these areas.”

Together, we initially conducted a gap-analysis and identified that our labor inspectors need logistic assistance, and capacity building trainings. Accordingly, the ILO Siraye has supported us with motorbikes and laptop computers. Our experts and management were also engaged in capacity building trainings.  In addition to these logistic and technical supports, the ILO has also provided us with financial assistance to aid our work around improving worker employer relations and create a more peaceful industrial environment. 

With the financial support we received from ILO, we have embarked on capacity development around rights, worker, employer relations, ILS, Conventions, etc for Bureau Management, Officials, woreda level experts where we have industrial zones. Now the labor department in general in Sidama knows its’s mandate, its partners, and its goals. In general, we have seen some groundbreaking improvements in the sector. 

“We had more than 20 active factories in Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP), but there were no trade union before we started this intervention. With the support of the ILO, we have helped workers in the industrial park establish trade unions in all the factories inside the park. We have also helped establish OSH committees in all factories.” 

“Previously, it was not possible for our labor inspectors to even enter HIP. Now, our experts can do their inspections efficiently in collaboration with the ILO Siraye Programme in HIP and other factories in Sidama’s industrial zones.”

The technical supports we received from the ILO Siraye programme was multifaceted starting from supporting employers, the government, and workers representatives as well to improve a better tripartite relation through continuous social dialogue and engagement with all actors in the labor sector. 

Chanyalew Aweke, Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) Hawassa Branch Head also agrees with the improvements in terms of unionization. 

“Few years ago, factory workers inside and outside HIP did not have any union and there was no means for the workers to even talk to each other, let alone establish a basic trade union. We also were not allowed to enter HIP’s compound or any of the factories inside the park.  The ILO Siraye programme, Sidama BoLS and CETU had to work hard through continuous consultations and engagement with employers and all stakeholders to change that and start unionizing workers in these factories.” 

Our primary mission here is to make sure workers’ rights are respected through unionization and collective bargaining. When problems arise at workplaces, the hope that we have is to resolve them through collective bargaining and bipartite and tripartite consultations between/among workers and employers as well as the government. 

With this, we are trying to solve issues through bipartite and tripartite consultations, as almost all factory workers are now organized into basic trade unions. The ILO Siraye is highly supportive in relations to the efforts of unionization and promoting social dialogue. Particularly, the ILO Siraye project has supported us with capacity building trainings, women empowerment, experience sharing and building stronger unions. Besides this technical support, the ILO has also hired experts for us and provided necessary logistic and financial assistance. Also considering the vulnerability of comparative disadvantage workers would face, the ILO has empowered us, trade unions very well. 

These all has resulted in the preparation of collective agreements in almost all factories. We’re now working towards the collective benefits of both the companies and workers despite the current market challenges in relation to AGOA and other factors. In making sure no party but especially workers are not disadvantaged in such times, the role the ILO played is paramount. 

Nibret Girma, Executive Director of Hawassa Industrial Park Employers Association, also believes that they have now improved their relationships with workers. 

“Both the employers and the workers previously tend to focus only on their interest disregarding the interest of the other party. So, it has taken so much time and effort to have a mutual understanding on the matter concerning both parties,” Nibret said. 

“Mutual trust is essential for dialogue so the key role the ILO played here is building our capacity around social dialogue. We as employer representative from Hawassa and our partners from government and trade union were trained in Turin, Italy on Social Dialogue sponsored by the ILO Siraye Programme. This helped us realize that we have more of a mutual interest than conflicting ones which helped a lot in smoothing our relationships.” 

Now we have built the trust, so we are working very closely with basic trade unions through regular consultations with focus on matters like the agenda of minimum wage, productivity, rights, and unionization that are beneficial to both parties. and the workers previously tend to focus only on their interest disregarding the interest of the other party. So, it has taken so much time and effort to have a mutual understanding on the matter concerning both parties,” Nibret said. 

“Mutual trust is essential for dialogue so the key role the ILO played here is building our capacity around social dialogue. We as employer representative from Hawassa and our partners from government and trade union were trained in Turin, Italy on Social Dialogue sponsored by the ILO Siraye Programme. This helped us realize that we have more of a mutual interest than conflicting ones which helped a lot in smoothing our relationships.” 

Now we have built the trust, so we are working very closely with basic trade unions through regular consultations with focus on matters like the agenda of minimum wage, productivity, rights, and unionization that are beneficial to both parties.