Developing a Framework for Assessing Labor Rights Enforcement: A five-country project with the support of the United States Department of Labor

Verité is currently implementing, with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), a program to develop tools to track country progress toward compliance with international labor standards. The Department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) is administering the project.

Over a three year period beginning in 2002, Verité will develop a methodology for gathering and analyzing data on countries’ protection of workers’ rights. Verité will also provide training for U.S. government staff and enhance local, in-country capacity to address compliance issues. The development of an assessment methodology will draw on expertise gained during our factory audits worldwide, and build on methodological approaches developed during our assessment of labor practices CalPERS.

The focus of the Verité program will be to assist ILAB to:

· Develop and pilot-test a methodology to gather and analyze information and assess progress made towards achieving core labor protections in countries around the world;

· Assist the DOL in upgrading U.S. government capacity to gather and analyze information related to labor protections overseas;

· Work with the DOL in educating foreign governments, businesses, trade unions, and non-governmental organizations to expand their capacity to address worker issues and to better understand the manner in which the U.S. government gathers, assesses, and utilizes information on labor conditions in their country.

The methodology will be flexibly designed so it can be applied across a broad spectrum of countries and sectors. It will be pilot tested during the project in the following five countries and industries:

· India - information technology

· Philippines – agriculture

· Jordan, Morocco and Swaziland - apparel.

This grant to Verité is part of ILAB’s work to promote greater adherence to international labor standards around the world. The bureau reports regularly and in-depth to Congress on the extent to which foreign countries with U.S. trade and investment agreements comply with internationally recognized worker rights and effectively promote core labor standards. In consultation with other U.S. government agencies, ILAB carries out a broad range of activities, including technical assistance, which advance worker rights and enhance workers’ security and opportunity.