Register Now!

 

Building Management and Worker Capacities to Advance Worker Participation 

 

Date: Thursday, March 28th, 2024 
Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am EST / 3:00 pm – 4:00 GMT

 

Worker participation is often overlooked as a strategy for building a competitive, sustainable business that can keep up with rapidly evolving social and legal standards in global supply chains. Even in countries where workers’ rights to freedom of association (FOA) are extremely limited due to national laws or the lack of government enforcement, corporations can still ensure workers in their supply chain have access to effective grievance mechanisms and systems that ensure workers have a say in workplace matters. 

Verité has spent nearly 30 years working with international brands, suppliers, and workers in diverse socio-political contexts and is committed to sharing our lessons and tools for worker-centered social responsibility. In this webinar, Verité’s CSR and Supply Chain Responsibility experts will delve into corporate-level strategies to strengthen factory management systems and capacities, as well as improve workers’ knowledge and skills to advocate for their rights and negotiate better work conditions. 

A glimpse into what we’ll cover in the webinar: 

  • Explore the correlation between increased worker participation, greater worker engagement and tangible business advantages like reduced turnover rates. 
  • Learn about practical assessment tools to evaluate gaps in areas such as Freedom of Association (FOA), Collective Bargaining, Grievance Mechanisms, and Worker Participation. 
  • Access e-learning courses for factory managers and workers. 
  • Engage in an interactive Q&A session with experts offering firsthand insights into worker participation in global supply chains

Who should attend: 

  • Supplier factories, multinational buyers, manufacturing from any sector 
  • Sustainable Development, CSR, Supply Chain Responsibility and HR Professionals 
  • Civil society, workers’ organizations, and labor unions 

REGISTRATION LINK:

SPEAKERS:

Shawn MacDonald 

Shawn MacDonald, Ph.D., CEO of Verité, has spent more than 25 years advocating for effective labor policies and practices with governments, corporations, and aid agencies. Dr. MacDonald has broad international experience in labor rights, social entrepreneurship, workplace health, and multi-sector partnerships from his roles as Director of Accreditation at the Fair Labor Association; Vice President of Ashoka; Senior Advisor at Meridian Group International; and co-founder of the Development and Employment Policy Project.  

WJ Yao

Ms. Yao, Senior Director of Programs at Verité with over 25 years of corporate social responsibility (CSR) experience, is a driving force behind Verité’s worker-centered approach in supplier improvement programs. Her leadership spans diverse initiatives, from working with multinational companies and suppliers to strengthen management systems and capacity to address human rights risk, enhancing local civil society organizations’ capacities to advocate for workers’ rights, and developing CSR curricula for Chinese universities and technical schools. Rooted in deep field experience, Ms. Yao’s expertise has contributed to multi-stakeholder initiatives to promote workers’ rights to freedom of association, worker participation, and worker engagement in global supply chains. 

Andrew Wang 

Mr. Wang, Program Director at Verité, offers over 18 years of multifaceted expertise to the global supply chain landscape. With a strong foundation as a lead auditor, senior trainer, consultant, and researcher, he possesses comprehensive expertise in Asian countries’ labor laws and international labor standards. Mr. Wang’s focus on management systems assessment and consulting is fortified by 15 years of prior senior social science research experience in international politics, sociology and human rights.  

Anne Cormier  

Ms. Cormier, Program Manager at Verité for over 8 years, specializes in training management, including IRCA-certified global training program for labor and ethics auditors in the electronics industry. As the administrator for Verité’s Learning Management System, Ms. Cormier manages training content, tracks progress, and enhances learning experiences for diverse global supply chain stakeholders. 

 

 

 


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