Cotton On Group has commenced an Australian retail industry-first partnership with CARE Australia.
The pair have developed a bespoke program aimed at developing the skills of female garment workers, with the goal of advancing their careers.
Commencing in February 2019, the two-year pilot project will involve 2,200 garment factory workers, particularly women, in key supplier factories in Bangladesh.
They will undergo a unique training program developed in consultation with garment workers and factory owners.
The training extends to supporting the management and line supervisors of the participating factories to shape their role in creating an enabling environment for women workers.
The Empowering Women Workers in Bangladesh project aims to increase the number of women garment workers in leadership roles in the participating factories.
A significant task, given that over 85% of the four million garment factory workers in Bangladesh are women, with less than 3% employed in management positions.
CARE has developed a program in collaboration with the Group to deliver:
- Foundation Training such as communication skills, managing work and self-care, gender awareness and management of stress
- Advanced Training including health and nutrition, leadership training, career advancement and legal empowerment
- Supervisor Training covering understanding gender equality, promoting workers’ wellbeing, and communication skills
- Management Training including women’s empowerment, building a worker friendly environment and team building.
CARE Australia CEO Sally Moyle said she is thrilled by the joint venture.
"This important initiative across three garment factories in Bangladesh will contribute to CARE’s global goal to improve the working lives of eight million women in Asia by 2021.
"Our Dignified Work programs like this one enable the economic empowerment of women by promoting decent working conditions, tackling the barriers that women face to achieve equality in the workplace, and supporting women to take control of their own lives.”
“Australian businesses have an important role to play in improving the lives and rights of women in their overseas supply chains. It’s wonderful that the Cotton On Group shares our vision and is increasing its investment in this work."
Cotton On Group risk and sustainability GM Alice Polglase said the venture is in line with the company's people-first strategy.
“The Group has been working collaboratively with CARE Australia for over two years to ensure we deliver a program that is aligned to our purpose to make a positive difference in people’s lives. We have consulted with factory owners and workers to ensure the training suits their particular needs."
Bangladesh Insights
There are almost 5,000 ready-made garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh, contributing to a $19 billion-a-year industry. The industry accounts for almost 80% of Bangladesh’s foreign exports and has placed the country second only to China in apparel exports for Western brands.
The RMG industry accounts for over 45% of the country’s industrial workforce, employing more than 4 million people. It is a major source of employment for women migrating from rural areas in a country that has increasingly limited rural livelihood options, and where women have been largely excluded from formal work in the cities.
Female labour now accounts for 90% of the RMG workforce, which has fundamentally shifted the gender participation in the overall economy.