Better Work Pakistan
Better Work Pakistan was established in 2022, following the signature of a formal Memorandum of Understanding between the federal Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, the provincial Governments of Sindh and Punjab and Better Work.
The Ministry of Commerce also supports the programme, with a significant proportion of our funding being provided from the Export Development Fund. Better Work Pakistan aims to produce measurable results at both the policy and factory level. The programme has opened its Karachi office and will expand its staffing to Punjab in 2023.
During its three-year pilot phase, the programme is implementing the factory engagement model in at least 120 enterprises in Karachi and Punjab. In our first year, we have already enrolled over 30 enterprises, across Karachi, Faisalabad and Lahore to support the priorities of the 14 Better Work brand partners sourcing from Pakistan. Our work supports Pakistan’s continued compliance with the European Union’s and United States respective Generalized scheme of preferences for trade. Pakistan is in the process of re-application for the next round of GSP+, which will require expanded ratifications and implementation of ILO international labour standards. The two year grace period will provide a unique opportunity to Pakistan to take forward its international commitments and improve compliance.
Strategic Goals
Better Work Pakistan’s three-year pilot phase (2022-2024) will work to achieve the following outcomes:
By 2024, employers and workers and their representatives in the Better Work programme uphold and are protected by national labour laws and fundamental principles and rights at work; enterprises in the sector that have emerged from the COVID-19 crisis are more sustainable, resilient and inclusive.
By 2024, Better Work Pakistan will have strengthened overall labour market governance including sectoral social dialogue in the textile, clothing and footwear sector.
By 2024, enterprises that participate in Better Work have adopted policies and practices on responsible business conduct that support the realization of decent work.
By 2024, Better Work’s learnings and methods have created positive social and environmental impacts beyond the programme as they are adopted in other countries and sectors.
Latest news
Government of Pakistan and ILO sign MoU for implementation of Better Work
The ILO and the Government of Pakistan have signed the MoU for the implementation of the ILO-IFC flagship programme, Better Work. The signing ceremony was presided over by Adviser to the Prime Minister on OPHRD, Mr. Muhammad Ayub Afridi. “We hope that launching Better Work Pakistan will pave the way for enhanced sourcing of Pakistan’s …
Helping Women Workers Manage Cultural and Professional Barriers in Pakistan
Lowest non-compliance rate on double payroll in five years
Contribution to Priority Themes
This pilot phase of Better Work Pakistan will contribute to the following priority themes set out in the global Better Work strategy. These themes crosscut 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
Better Work Pakistan will generate data at the factory level, to demonstrate the impacts of improved working conditions and increased social dialogue on productivity and competitiveness. Together with independent academic partners and the EU’s ILES project, Better Work Pakistan will design and conduct impact research, developing evidence-based case studies. The programme will use this evidence to assess international labour standards compliance, support policy development and encourage upscaling and behavioural changes in the sector.
Social Dialogue
Establishing bipartite committees to increase effective communication between managers, supervisors and workers, Better Work Pakistan will support effective social dialogue at the factory level and will support alongside the broader ILO the development of a tripartite consensus and implement the action plan made with the federal, Sindh and Punjab governments to improve labour legislation and policy frameworks.
Gender equality & inclusion
Better Work Pakistan will seek to improve working conditions for female workers in the sector and enhance their career opportunities through its supervisory skills and other female leadership capacity building initiatives and training. The programme will also engage home-based women workers and support them through training and mentoring in order to enhance their economic opportunities in the sector, their financial literacy and their ability to more effectively negotiate the terms and conditions of their work. Given the low levels of female participation in the workforce in Pakistan, we will work with enterprises and the wider community to address disincentives discouraging women from participation in the sector, including work around gender-based violence.
Productivity / Business Performance
Better Work Pakistan will support businesses to improve productivity and competitiveness in the region and globally. The programme will improve relationships between brands and suppliers through business fora and by encouraging engagement between the sector, the Ministry of Commerce and other government agencies. Better Work Pakistan will deliver a menu of services including the ILO’s occupational safety and health approaches and the sector specific Factory Improvement Toolkit and productivity-focused training.
