Better Work Nicaragua
In operation since 2010, Better Work Nicaragua aims to improve the working conditions and competitiveness of Nicaragua’s garment industry.
Better Work Nicaragua has contributed to significant progress of the compliance performance of the garment industry through a combination of advisory services, training, and industry seminars between compliance assessments.
The programme has expanded opportunities for decent work on the factory floor as well as strengthened public policies, institutions and practices at the national level. As part of its commitment to addressing discrimination, particularly based on gender, the programme has embedded gender equality throughout its operations. There is strong evidence highlighting that factories make improvements as they become more mature in their participation in the programme, as evidenced by declining non-compliance with ILO labour standards and national labour law in the areas of contracts, occupational safety and health and working time.
Nicaragua: Our services
Better Work Nicaragua offers our full suite of services under our global Factory Engagement Model to registered factories. This includes a series of Learning and Assessment services, as detailed below.
Learning
The learning part of our process takes place through advisory factory visits, training and industry seminars
Our advisory work
begins with a specially-tailored programme of coaching from our experienced staff. Here we engage factory managers one-on-one in identifying compliance and other issues and establish the means of improvement, working with them every step of the way.Industry Seminars
are an integral part of the advisory process as they provide an important opportunity for factories to learn from their peers. Seminars are participatory, learner-centered workshops that aim to tackle collectively areas of needed improvement identified across factories.Our training
Our innovative training courses for factory representatives support and reinforce the advisory work through detailed instruction on how to tackle challenges and improve workplace relations. Examples of this include training on managing health and safety in the workplace, enabling worker and management representatives to diagnose and improve their own grievance mechanisms, and educating supervisors on how to manage workers and training on setting up proper human resources systems.
Our Training Courses
Explore the training courses offered in Nicaragua
- Accidents Investigation
- Basic Rights and Responsibilities
- Chemical Safety
- Workplace Communication
- Financial Literacy
- Fire Safety
- Heavy Load Lifting
- HR Management
- Industrial Relations
- OSH
- Leadership Skills Program
- Maternal Health
- Negotiation Skills
- Nutrition
- PICC Training
- PPE
- Sexual Harassment Prevention
- Road Safety
- Supervisory Skills Training
- ToT for HR Managers
- HIV & AIDs Awareness
Accidents Investigation
After this training, participants will learn three main objectives:
1. Identify the difference between work-related accidents and common accidents.
2. learn a methodology to identify the root cause of the accident and to provide appropriate corrective measures.
3. Be aware of the rights and duties for both, workers and management, according to OSH Law.
Basic Rights and Responsibilities
Basic Rights and Responsibilities
Chemical Safety
Upon completion of this training, workers will be aware of the main risks to be exposed when handling chemicals, also learn to understand MSDS and containers labelling, and will be taught preventive techniques to avoid accidents.
Communication in the Workplace
Communication in the Workplace
Financial Literacy
This topic is important for the workers to:
- Understand the importance of managing their money and keeping financial records.
- Understand the benefits of making a budget and how to stay within budget.
- Understand what debt means and how to avoid it.
- Know different saving services and the pros and cons of each of them.
- Know how to make a savings plan.
Fire Safety
Fire Safety
Heavy Load Lifting
This training is to create conscience among workers, about potential diseases resulting from incorrect handling, OSH law requirements, and teach them safety techniques when lifting loads.
Human Resource Management
Sound Human Resource Management (HRM) is essential for a productive and compliant factory. The investment of human and financial resource is crucial for a motivated and productive workforce. This training is designed to provide participants with an in depth knowledge of highly functioning HR systems.
Industrial Relations
Industrial Relations
Introduction to Occupational Safety and Health
Good Occupational Health & Safety (OSH) is good for business. This course builds awareness of OSH as an integral part of factory management. Focusing on a preventative approach to OSH including risk mapping, it guides participants to spot hazards, meet national and international standards and the understand the role of the OSH committee.
Leadership Skills Program for Middle Managers
Good leaders are invaluable to any organization. This training is aimed at increasing the capacity of participants in their own roles as well as giving them the opportunity to develop and coach others. Good leaders know how to do the right thing, this training aims to empower participants to take the first steps in a leadership role.
Maternal Health
Maternal Health
Negotiation Skills
Negotiation Skills
Nutrition
Nutrition
PICC Training
Bipartite Training
PPE
After this training, its participants will learn the main risk they are exposed to by not using their PPEs, in addition they will be taught easy techniques to proper use and maintenance and how to identify the need of wearing (or not) their PPEs
Preventing and Addressing Sexual Harassment
Focusing on rights and responsibilities regarding sexual harassment, workers learn what sexual harassment is, how to prevent and address it, as well as contacts for local referrals and hotlines for help in such matters.
Supports middle or human resource managers to prevent and address sexual harassment, including information on conducting interviews, impartial investigations, and confidentiality.
Road Safety
This program aims to develop or improve the intellectual faculties and abilities of workers on how to behave in public, either as pedestrians or drivers of a vehicle. This training is for workers.
Supervisory Skills Training
SST has been proven to increase the productivity of lines supervised by trained female supervisors, as it reduces the time needed to reach production targets, resulting in a 22 % increase in productivity.
Major topics which we cover through this training are:
- Supervisors’ roles and responsibilities
- Types of supervisor
- Steps to influence
- Positive attitude
- Integrity
- Management styles
- Giving job instructions
- Correcting poor performance
- Resolving conflicts
- Managing workers
ToT for HR Managers on Worker Induction
Management and Supervisory Training
Training on HIV & AIDs Awareness
After completing this training, participants will:
- Have a broader understanding of HIV and AIDS
- Have more knowledge of protective measures
- Have more knowledge of preventive measures
- Get to know the Better Work Team
Assessments
We provide a comprehensive assessment to determine each factory’s overall progress on meeting international core labour standards and national labour laws. Assessment findings are coupled with the factory’s own diagnosis of conditions inside the enterprise to provide a fair and well-rounded picture of success, demonstrated progress and areas for continued improvement.
The Better Work enterprise assessment consists of four on-site person days, and includes Management, union and worker interviews, document reviews and factory observations. The data collected indicates levels of compliance with labour standards in eight clusters: four based on ILO core labour standards regarding Child Labour, Forced Labour, Discrimination and Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining; and four based on national law regarding Working Conditions, Compensation, Contracts and Human Resources, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), and Working Time.
Areas covered by our assessments include:
- Discrimination
- Forced Labor
- Child Labor
- Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
National Labor Law:
- Compensation
- Working Time
- Contracts and Human Resources
- Occupational Safety and Health