BSR Insight | Demonstration Projects Link Responsible Labor and Competitiveness
BSR's DR-CAFTA Responsible Competitiveness project released 14 case studies showcasing the link between responsible labor and competitiveness from successful projects throughout Central America. The studies document the successes and challenges of the projects and provide practical solutions for responsible labor practices.
The case studies outline how peer companies have:
- Enhanced worker-management relationships. To decrease the frequency of strikes on an AgroAmérica banana farm in Guatemala, BSR helped improve company-union communications through workshops, suggestion boxes, and message boards.
- Assessed workers' rights to facilitate access to new markets. BSR helped CAEI's sugar plantation in the Dominican Republic conduct a baseline assessment of labor conditions—including living wages, migrant worker documentation, and occupational health and safety (OHS) training—to identify opportunities for growth in markets with higher labor standards.
- Bolstered management systems to drive continuous improvement. BSR worked with one of Gildan's Honduran apparel factories to identify its most pressing OHS challenges and institute incentives to ensure continuous improvement. As a result, the factory improved its compliance rates and increased worker participation in their OHS program.
For more information, please contact Alison Colwell.
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Jessica Hyman, Associate, Operations
Jessica keeps the fast-paced San Francisco office performing at full capacity by providing support for the Advisory Services team... Read more →
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