Creating awareness and trust of workers is critical to the operation of an effective grievance mechanism. In order to achieve this objective, information about how to use the grievance channel must be widely available and it must be presented in a culturally appropriate, relevant, and engaging way.
We are pleased to announce that the Amader Kotha Helpline in Bangladesh has recently developed a new animated worker training video as a next step in our efforts to support a high level of worker awareness and trust. The video provides workers with detailed information about how to access the Helpline and what to expect when a worker calls to report safety or labor related concerns in the workplace. It serves as an additional tool to complement our printed posters, cards, and stickers as well as our in-person trainings when requested. The video is available in English and Bangla.
We encourage you to take the time to watch the video as part of our ongoing efforts to provide information about the Helpline and how it can support safe and decent working conditions in Bangladesh.
Worker Training Video – EnglishWorker Training Video – Bangla
We hope this finds you in good health and high spirits. We would like to inform you that our Phulki office and Helpline Stations will be closed from 27th June to 4th July 2023 in observance of the Eid-ul-Adha holidays. Our operations will resume on 5th July 2023.
As a result of the holiday period, all factory operations in will also be temporarily suspended during this period. However, we will have an Emergency Contact Information/number available via our Helpline call recording service, which will be activated during the holiday period.
Wishing you all Eid Mubarak ! May this Eid bring you and your loved ones joys, happiness, and prosperity.
We are pleased to announce that the Amader Kotha Helpline in Bangladesh has updated its logo. As part of our ongoing commitment to improving the worker experience and promoting workplace rights within the RMG sector, we wanted to refresh our brand identity and give it a more modern and inclusive look.
Our new logo features three people arm-in-arm, representing the value and strength of worker voice in Bangladesh. The new logo reflects our belief in the importance of collaboration and community in addressing workplace issues. When designing our new identity, we surveyed workers to gather their feedback on several different designs to understand which design they felt most connected to, while maintaining strong brand recognition to the Helpline.
We believe that our new logo will help us better connect with workers and communicate the importance of their voices in the grievance process. We know that workers in Bangladesh often face significant challenges in speaking up about workplace issues, and our goal is to create a safe and supportive environment where they can be heard, have their challenges remediated and their rights protected.
At the same time, we recognize that a logo alone is hardly sufficient to create lasting change. We remain committed to working with our partners and stakeholders to build a more just and equitable RMG sector for all workers in Bangladesh. This includes providing training and support to workers and collaborating with employers to improve working conditions.
We’re excited to roll out our new logo and look forward to continuing our work to build a safer garment industry for all workers.
Academic research demonstrates that Helpline training has a large, statistically significant effect on calls to the Helpline. By one month after the first training, the total number of substantive calls increase by 22 times pre-training levels; and after refresher training, the total number of calls more than doubles. The refresher training, which occurs at least nine months after the first training, can be interpreted as a proxy for the effect of raising the salience or credibility of the Helpline and/or signaling its long-run availability to workers. The Helpline training increases calls across nearly all types of issues, even those not presented in this analysis.
The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises provide recommendations addressed by governments to multinational enterprises. These non-binding principles and standards for responsible business conduct in a global context are consistent with internationally recognized standards. Beginning on page 95 in sector guidance for garments and footwear, grievance mechanisms are identified as a critical component of any due diligence system.
Prior to the adoption of the principles of effective grievance mechanisms by the UN in 2011, a comprehensive study of what constitutes good practice was undertaken. The study reflects the findings of five on-the-ground pilot projects
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights define the company obligation to provide the remedy when rights are violated and to establish effective grievance mechanisms at the operational level. The principles of effective grievance mechanisms — legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent, rights-compatible, and source of continuous learning — were adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011.
