Lesotho Responsible and Accountable Garment Sector (LESRAGS)

Lead Partner: Skillshare International
Project Partners: LECAWU, FAWU, UNITE, NUTEX, and Lentsoe
Project Location: Lesotho

Project Description

Goal: To improve working conditions for vulnerable workers, especially young women from Lesotho garment sector and encourage responsible labour practices in line with MDG 1 Target 1B “achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people”

Purpose: To strengthen Lesotho’s garment Trade Unions to play a full role in ensuring decent work principles are adopted (with a specific focus on gender sensitive issues).  This will contribute to the national priority of poverty reduction through increased employment opportunities and retaining buyers sourcing from Lesotho.  It is also in line with MDG1 Target 1A reduce by half the number of people living on less than 1U$ a day.

Rationale: By strengthening the leadership capacity of the Trade Union management and shop stewards in Lesotho’s garment sector, the Unions will be able to deliver services to, and represent the interest of, factory workers more effectively.  The majority of factory workers and shop stewards are young women and if the Trade Unions are better able to articulate female workers’ priorities and represent their interests this will play a critical role in facilitating improved working conditions for vulnerable young women workers.  This project will also add value to, and build on synergies with Better Work a partnership programme between the International Labour Organisation and the International Finance Corporation that aims to improve both compliance with labour standards and competitiveness in global supply chains.

Expected Outputs and Expected Changes Resulting

• Output 1 – Capacity building and training for trade union management and shop stewards (including skills development for the Wages Advisory Board).
• Output 2 – Awareness will be raised among workers, media personnel and communities on decent work and industrial relations.
• Outputs 3 – Develop and implement a marketing strategy to boost membership of the five Trade Unions.
• Output 4 – Networking, mentoring and sharing of best practice between Trade Union federations and textile Trade Unions in the North (UK/Ireland) and South (Lesotho and Southern Africa).