North Vietnamese apparel firms to benefit from Better Work

22 Mar '14

2 min read

Better Work Vietnam, currently the largest voluntary Better Work program in operation that aims to enhance productivity and competitiveness of the garment industry, would now be extended to the northern part of Vietnam, after benefiting several enterprises in the southern part of the country, The Saigon Times reported.

Inaugurating the office of Better Work Vietnam in Hanoi, Vietnamese Deputy Labor Minister Pham Minh Huan said in view of Vietnam moving ahead towards integration with international economies, it becomes essential that ‘Made in Vietnam’ products meet the requirements of consumers in choosy markets like the US, the EU, Canada and other countries.

The Better Work program would provide three integrated service packages to the textile and clothing firms in Vietnam, aimed at making the working environment more conducive to demands of importers. The service packages include assessing and setting up database on factory conditions, providing information and advice on improvement and technology, and giving guidelines and training on essential matters.

Since its launch in Vietnam in 2009, the Better Work initiative has so far approached about 300,000 workers in 200 garment factories, mainly in the southern part of the country.

Gyorgy Szirackzki, chief of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Vietnam, said the Better Work program can help Vietnam bag more export orders in the textile and apparel industry.

He said Vietnam can make a difference in global markets as the country has low labor costs, respect for workers’ voice, productivity enhancement and improving work environment.

According to the Better Work Vietnam assessments, there has been a stable growth in the garment units that have participated in the program. About 60 percent of the participating factories have increased their workforce, while 65 percent of them have reported an increase in sales and three out of four factories have bagged greater number of export orders.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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