Promising Practices

Africa Recruitment Practices: How we do it: In this booklet we share the good practices domestic workers in Africa have developed to grow and build their unions. The booklet focuses on the first stage of organization building, reaching out to domestic workers and bringing them into the union- referred to as recruiting members. Since 2009, African affiliates’ membership has increased by between 50% and 100% yearly.

In September 2024, the Senate passed the Costs Protection Bill, which will make it easier for victim-survivors of workplace sexual harassment to pursue legal action against perpetrators. The bill removes one of the main deterrents that victim-survivors face when considering court action – the risk of being burdened with the other side’s legal costs, which can result in significant debt or bankruptcy. Under the Bill’s new ‘equal access’ costs model, workers can assert their rights in federal courts, without fearing hefty costs. It will mainly affect low-income and vulnerable workers who experience sexual harassment and discrimination.

This leadership school for domestic workers is a collaboration between the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Domestic Workers (CONLACTRAHO), Generative Somatics, and the Solidarity Center. The program has already trained 120 new leaders, which led to IDWF affiliates in the region recruiting 14,445 new members —including 400 migrant domestic workers— and to 75% of these organizations participating in intersectoral roundtables for the implementation of C189 and the enforcement of legal protections for the sector.

The company agrees to collaborate and apply the principles established in the Convention 190 throughout its activities and in all those countries in which the company is present. It includes the obligation to establish procedures to handle complaints and investigations, the protection of confidentiality and the adoption of measures to protect workers from violence and harassment.

The coalition of Latin American agriculture unions in the Coordinating Body of Latin American Banana and Agro-industrial Unions (COLSIBA) has been bringing together unions from Colombia to Guatemala to build power for workers at major multinational agricultural companies in the region like Del Monte, Dole, Fyffes, and Chiquita. Women union leaders have created programs and led organizing campaigns that specifically identify issues women agricultural workers face and have developed contract language to address them. As a result of this organizing over decades, dozens of clauses have been included in collective bargaining agreements that specifically prohibit GBVH and address issues women farmworkers have identified. GLJ, in partnership with COLSIBA affiliate unions, is developing a project that gathers best practices on organizing around gender and GBVH from unions across the world, strengthens women workers’ leadership, and co-develop corporate supply chain campaigns that include demands for implementation of C190 principles and remediation of GBVH more broadly in the Americas.

This agreement endorses the principles set out by Convention 190, in particular the right of any person to a world of work free of any form of violence and psychological or sexual harassment, including in a digital context or one of remote working.

This agreement includes amongst its clauses the compromise of the company to provide a working environment that is respectful and dignified, including one that is free from violence and harassment. The company undertakes the responsibility to prevent and combat any form of violence and moral and/or sexual, physical and/or mental harassment, including in a digital and/or remote working context, following the principles set out by Convention 190.

The Dindigul Agreement to Eliminate Gender-Based Violence and Harassment is a breakthrough supply chain agreement resulting from engagement involving global brands [H&M Group, Gap Inc., PVH Corp.], supplier [Eastman Exports], Union [Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU)] and US/regional allies [Global Labor Justice (GLJ), and Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA)]. In the two years since signing, it has shown the power of collective bargaining and Freedom of Association (FOA) in securing worker rights and has been highly effective in addressing GBVH. The agreement goes beyond the factory floors, with the grievance redressal system extending to cover transportation and worker hostels. This has led to enhanced trust between the women workers and management, building on the solidarity fostered by the agreement. Despite India not ratifying ILO Convention 190 (C190), the Dindigul Agreement incorporates key C190 frameworks, such as extending protections against gender-based violence and harassment to the broader ‘world of work,’ including factories, hostels, and transport at Natchi Apparels (Eastman-run factory).

It is the first UNI Global Framework Agreement to include amongst its clauses that the multinational company engages to work according to the guidelines set by the ILO Convention 190. This agreement was adopted just days after the adoption of the Convention.

Specific elements of the enforceable brand agreement contributing to its effectiveness include the involvement of workers and their representatives (unions) in directly negotiating terms with the manufacturer; the inclusion of brands and brands contributing the necessary funds, in recognition of their responsibility to addressing GBVH in their supply chain; an independent body was set up to investigate reports and determine resolutions; comprehensive education was required for all workers at all levels on GBVH and the agreement’s provisions; and definitions and language directly taken from C190. In addition, these terms were negotiated based on data collected on the actual experiences of workers. The EBA has contributed to changes in behavior as awareness of what constitutes GBVH and what consequences could be faced has increased. The independent body, Worker Rights Watch, has received over 600 reports and resolved over 150 of them with resolutions including suspensions, demotions, and terminations. Timely and appropriate resolutions has encouraged more reporting. The EBA has received a lot of attention, spreading awareness about GBVH and encouraging both the government and other employers to take action to address GBVH beyond factories covered by the EBA, including ratification of C190.

The Safe Circle Approach, embedded within the Dindigul Agreement, has been instrumental in transforming garment factory workplaces. This bottom-up model engages workers, including potential victims, bystanders, and perpetrators, in small-group discussions to address behavioral violence on production lines. A key element is the inclusion of worker-led Shop Floor Monitors, who play a vital role in leadership development, problem-solving, and negotiation, strengthening worker empowerment and collective voice. The Dindigul Agreement integrates the Safe Circle Approach with unionization and has established an independent grievance mechanism trusted by workers, promoting dialogue between union members and management to resolve issues before escalation. It is supported by fashion brands that are obligated to enforce these mechanisms. The Safe Circle Approach encompasses GBVH remediation and access to FOA, as outlined in ILO C190. The initiative has led to improved management capacity, behavioral change, and a culture shift toward accountability. Additionally, it addresses caste and migration status-based discrimination, strengthens worker representation, and enhances workplace safety. The inclusion of freedom of association ensures workers’ rights to unionize, contributing to an overall positive transformation of the industry. This approach has yielded remarkable outcomes in both the first and second years.

After the WRC exposed systemic gender-based violence and harassment at the Lesotho factories of Nien Hsing, a major global producer of denim clothing, a set of landmark agreements were negotiated among leading apparel brands, a coalition of labor unions representing workers at the factories and women’s rights advocates, and Nien Hsing. These binding agreements created a powerful and unprecedented mechanism to enable workers to bring complaints of gender-based violence and harassment to independent outside investigators with the power to punish harassers.

The eight good practices in this report demonstrate successful initiatives to combat child labour in India and Nepal; to establish strong and sustainable domestic workers organizations in the form of trade unions, cooperatives or associations in Indonesia, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea; on skills development and organizing in Hong Kong, China, and on the global online IDWF communication network.