PROFILE
in Cu Chi , near Ho Chi Minh City , which manufactures personal , home care , and food products .
Here are five lessons that businesses in Southeast Asia can take on board to improve labour rights across their supply chains
1 . Don ’ t assume that if workers do not raise labour issues either with management or with an auditor that this means everything is fine . There are a range of reasons they may not speak up , from being worried about being seen as a trouble-maker , to a perception that raising an issue will not really change anything , to cultural norms in that country
“ Almost 30 percent of Vietnam ’ s manufacturing industry is connected with Ho Chi Minh City ”
2 . Review your grievance mechanisms in line with the learning in Section 4.4 . If trade unions are not active , consider giving a local NGO an opportunity to talk to workers offsite , away from managers , and then to feedback findings and questions from workers anonymously , and see what you learn
3 . Take a fresh look at your worker turnover , and the cost of recruiting and training new workers . How could the turnover be brought down ? If you improve employment conditions , what is the impact of this for workers ’ motivation , productivity
8 September 2016