Better Work

Indonesia

Established in 2011, the Better Work programme in Indonesia strives to improve working conditions and competitiveness in the export garment sector as well as help participating firms improve working conditions by raising levels of compliance with national labour law and international standards. The programme has a reach of nearly 400,000 workers.

Brands and Retailers

36

Factories

215

Workers

385,580

Since Better Work Indonesia’s operations began, the garment industry has achieved broad improvements in compliance with labour law and international labour standards.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the average worker in Better Work-enrolled factories witnessed increased take-home pay.

Despite challenges, workers maintain a positive outlook – as of late 2021, seven in ten workers would recommend their job to others and nearly two-thirds feel optimistic about the future.

Firms enrolled in Better Work Indonesia perform better than non-enrolled factories in the quality of workplace communication and working conditions related to pay and hours.

Workplace unionization and collective bargaining are associated with better working conditions related to salaries and benefits, contracts, as well as occupational safety and health and welfare standards.

Better Work Indonesia

Established in 2011, the Better Work programme in Indonesia strives to improve working conditions and competitiveness in the export garment sector and has grown to include over 200 participating factories, reaching nearly 400,000 workers, of which 80 per cent are women.

Over its ten years, the programme has operated consistently at multiple levels. At the level of the individual factory, the programme provides interconnected services that support continuous improvement for competitiveness and conditions of work, such as specialized training and advisory services  as well as yearly unannounced assessments of factory conditions measuring compliance with ILO core labour standards and national legislation.

Through its activities in the garment sector, Better Work Indonesia has helped participating firms improve working conditions by raising levels of compliance with national labour law and international standards. Through its convening function among key stakeholders, the programme has provided inputs and data on national labour policy in several areas. 

MORE ABOUT OUR PROGRAMME
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Our Strategic Goals

Better Work Indonesia will work to achieve the following outcomes:

By 2024, the Foundation Partnership at Work takes over the implementation of the current strategy and Better Work Indonesia.

By 2027, better law enforcement through sustained compliance with labour law and international labour standards in Better Work Indonesia factories and stronger institutions, policies and practices are realized.

By 2027, social dialogue structures and systems at the enterprise and sectoral/national level are strengthened, are inclusive (gender-sensitive) and lead to better labour market governance outcomes.

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Contribution to Priority Themes

Phase V of Better Work Indonesia contributes to five priority themes set out in the Better Work Global strategy. These themes cross-cut the strategic goals and will be present in our factory engagement, research, policy influencing and content produced as well as affect how we allocate our human and financial resources.

Data and Evidence

Data and Evidence

Better Work Indonesia will provide national tripartite constituents with access to the programme’s data to enhance and support the role of constituents in monitoring working conditions and in policy. Data on compliance, industrial relations and zero tolerance protocol cases will be regularly publicized to drive improvement and increase awareness, transparency and accountability. 

wages

Wages

Better Work Indonesia will work closely with the ILO to bring clarity and improvements to the Indonesian minimum wage determination system. Better Work Indonesia will continue promoting compliance and fairer and more suitable wage policies at the factory and provincial level.  

Social Dialogue

Social Dialogue

With relevant ILO units and the ILO Country Office, the programme will continue playing a responsive and consistent role in convening and facilitating tripartite and bipartite dialogue at national and sub-national levels to address labour policy issues affecting the sector. At the factory level, the programme will continue building the capacity of workers and managers to respect freedom of association and collective bargaining rights, effectively prevent and address workplace grievances and engage in workplace cooperation in a gender-inclusive manner. At the national and provincial level, the programme will enhance coordination with employers and the role of management in Better Work Indonesia factories in promoting respect for freedom of association and related rights. The programme will enhance coordination with workers and their trade unions and their role in the Better Work Indonesia factory engagement process including data collection and use, monitoring (improvement process) and dispute resolution.

Gender Equality and Inclusion

Gender equality & inclusion

Better Work Indonesia will support factories and national stakeholders in sexual harassment prevention and remediation, the elimination of remaining forms of occupational segregation and the enhancement of women workers’ roles in bipartite committees, trade unions and at the national tripartite garment level. Better Work‘s Respectful Workplace Programme will support factories’ gender-based violence prevention efforts. Better Work Indonesia will also continue advocating and supporting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the garment workforce, as per the national legal requirement.

Occupational Safety and Health

Occupational Safety and Health

With the Indonesian government, Better Work Indonesia will continue clarifying, disseminating and revising legal requirements thus ensuring their adequacy to the garment setting. The programme will continue investing in the OSH management systems of factories and coordinating with the national system for OSH management systems certification. This plan will be part of a wider industry effort in conjunction with international brands and other supply chain actors to upgrade the capabilities of factories and ensure good OSH practices in a sustainable and verifiable way by the Indonesian government. 

Social Protection

Social Protection

Better Work Indonesia will continue to be part of the ILO’s efforts to support the revision of Indonesia‘s social protection system, particularly the introduction of unemployment insurance. The programme will use its data and lessons learned to inform these processes and policy proposals and continue promoting social dialogue in this area by, among other things, ensuring that sectoral voices from both workers and management are part of national discussions.

Environmental

Environmental Sustainability

With factories and their associations as well as international brands that are actively engaged in promoting a circular economy and in line with existing government policy and programmes, Better Work Indonesia will explore realistic targets on the environment and how to enhance the capacity of factories to deal with environmental issues in the workplace including air quality, waste management and the safe handling of chemicals.

 

Key Partners

Governments

Government

Ministry of Manpower Manpower Offices in West and Central Java (5 provinces and 34 districts) BPJS (Social security Agency) The President of Indonesia Office (KSP)
employers

Employers

Apindo (Indonesian Employers Association) Api (Indonesian Textile Association) Employers’ associations and groups at the provincial level
Workers

Workers

Trade Unions
Business Community

Business Community

68 brands

Development partners

Kingdom of Netherlands

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