A year after signing an agreement with Better Work and the national tripartite constituents, Uzbekistan is making strides in improving working conditions and positioning itself as a competitive player in the global apparel market.
TASHKENT – Uzbekistan’s textile and garment industry has celebrated the first anniversary of a landmark agreement to improve working conditions and labour rights. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by the Better Work programme, the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan (FTUU), the Confederation of Employers of Uzbekistan (CEU) and the Uzbek government, marked a significant step in Uzbekistan’s plans to add value to its established cotton industry and emerge as a key global sourcing destination for apparel production. Better Work is a partnership programme of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
With the backing of Better Work, Uzbekistan’s industry is already attracting the interest of international buyers. The Walt Disney Company has recently included Uzbekistan in its list of approved sourcing countries, provided the sourcing factories are enrolled in the programme and fulfil any other necessary requirements.
“Agar mehnat standartlari bo‘yicha taraqqiyot davom etsa, O‘zbekiston jahon bozorlari, ayniqsa Yevropa uchun muhim yetkazib beruvchiga aylanish uchun qulay sharoit yaratadi”, deb tushuntiradi “Better Work” mamlakat dasturi rahbari Yusuf Abu. "Paxta taqiqi olib tashlanganidan beri mamlakat qisqa muddat va raqobatbardosh narxlar bilan allaqachon kuchli mavqega ega."
2022 yilgacha xalqaro brendlar va chakana sotuvchilar O‘zbekistonni paxta sanoatida bolalar va majburiy mehnat dalillari bilan bog‘liq xavotirlar tufayli boykot qilgan edi. XMT va boshqa tashkilotlar tomonidan o‘tkazilgan keng ko‘lamli tekshiruvdan so‘ng mamlakat mehnat huquqlari buzilishini bartaraf etishda sezilarli muvaffaqiyatlarga erishgani tasdiqlandi. Endi O‘zbekiston paxtadan tikilgan kiyim-kechak uchun Yevropa bozoriga bojsiz kirish imkoniyatiga ega. Yaqinda IFC tomonidan o'tkazilgan tadqiqot shuni ko'rsatdiki, u qisman O'zbekiston hukumatining transport xarajatlarini subsidiyalash siyosati bilan bog'liq bo'lganligi sababli, Evropadagi kiyim-kechak yetkazib beruvchilar orasida yuk tashish xarajatlari va import bojlari bo'yicha eng raqobatbardosh hisoblanadi.
The anniversary capped off a busy month for the programme, which is financially supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) administered by the World Bank Group. The Programme Advisory Committee (PAC), comprised of representatives of the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, FTUU, and the Confederation of Employers of Uzbekistan (CEU) held its inaugural meeting on May 14. This meeting was an opportunity to discuss the current challenges and opportunities within the industry.
– O‘tgan yil sohamiz uchun muhim bo‘ldi, – deydi O‘zMU raisi o‘rinbosari Baxtiyor Maxmadaliyev. "Better Work bilan hamkorligimiz nafaqat ro'yxatga olingan fabrikalarda mehnat sharoitlarini yaxshilash, balki kasaba uyushmamizning barcha ishchilarni tashkil qilish va vakillik qilish qobiliyatini mustahkamlashdir."
Xuddi shunday, CEU boshqaruvi raisi Ilhom Xaydayrov Better Work kompaniyasining sohaga bo'lgan ambitsiyalarini qo'llab-quvvatlaydi. “Bizning maqsadimiz nafaqat munosib mehnat, balki eng yaxshi mehnat sharoitlarini ham tashkil etishdir”, dedi u.
“O‘zto‘qimachiliksanoat” uyushmasi raisi vazifasini bajaruvchi Mirmuhsin Sultonov ham konstruktiv muloqot va mehnat huquqlarini hurmat qilish yanada kengroq ta’sir ko‘rsatishini e’tirof etadi: “Barqarorlik sari harakat barcha qiymat zanjirini qamrab oldi. Ko‘pgina kompaniyalarimiz O‘zbekiston barqarorlik va axloqiy ishlab chiqarish bo‘yicha global ko‘rsatmalarga javob berishini ta’minlash uchun ESG talablariga rioya qilishga, tegishli sertifikatlarga ega bo‘lishga va munosib mehnat amaliyotini qo‘llashga intiladi”.
Qoʻmitaga dasturning 2023-yil iyun oyida ishga tushirilganidan buyon erishilgan yutuqlarni sarhisob qiluvchi hisobot taqdim etildi. Eng muhim jihatlarga tezkorlik bilan kuzatilgan texnik-iqtisodiy asoslash, belgilangan muddatdan oshib borayotgan yangi zavodlarni roʻyxatga olish va xalqaro xaridorlar hamkorlarining qiziqishi ortishi kiradi.
Also, in May, the first set of assessments from participating factories was conducted. Five enterprises have completed their first review, providing a detailed snapshot of current non-compliance rates. The findings highlight existing problems in the industry, including a lack of health and safety protections and issues regarding contracts and fair pay. This further calls attention to the necessity for targeted interventions to elevate safety standards and ensure fair treatment and remuneration of workers.
"Biz Memorandumning ikkinchi yiliga o'tayotganimizda, asosiy e'tibor ushbu sanoat amaliyotlarining barqaror integratsiyasiga va samarali muloqotni yanada yaxshilashga qaratiladi", deya qo'shimcha qildi Abu. “To‘g‘ri yondashuv bilan biz O‘zbekiston to‘qimachilik va tikuvchilik mahsulotlarini yetkazib beruvchi asosiy davlatlar qatorida o‘z o‘rnini egallashiga umid qilamiz”.