Project “Women – Phase 3”: Actively creating change for the next stage

On the morning of April 19, 2022, at the Center for Development and Integration (CDI), the Steering Committee of the Women project – phase 3 (referred to as the WOMEN 3 project for short) had a meeting to share the results after two years of project implementation, the implementation plan in the next phase, and discuss the exit strategy after the project ends.

WOMEN 3 Project, whose full name is “Improving Living and Working Conditions for Female workers through capacity building and better coordination with Stakeholders in Hai Duong and Vinh Phuc,” funded mainly by the French Development Agency (AFD).

The project occurs in Nam Sach industrial park in Hai Duong Province and Khai Quang industrial park in Vinh Phuc Province. Despite the difficulties of the Covid-19 epidemic, in the past two years, from March 2020 to March 2022, the project has made important changes in improving living and working conditions for employees, enhancing their status by improving their capacity through group activities at the hostel, training, communication, legal advice in person and online. The topics are related to labor law, gender equality, policies to support workers affected by COVID-19, and enhancing integration for employees in the workplace. Difficulties are also a motivation for all parties to promote creativity! Activities are combined and intertwined between two forms, face-to-face and online, invested with enthusiasm and brain to attract the participation of employees. Useful, timely, and accurate information is transmitted through many communication channels, such as a website, fan page, an online talk show with minigames, and video clips…

In the next phase, the project coordination team (including BATIK Int, CDI, and GRET) agreed with two provincial partners (Hai Duong Province’s Confederation of Labor and Vinh Phuc Province’s Confederation of Labour) to focus on promoting dialogue between grassroots unions and employers, gender equality, promoting information provision and communication to employees.

In the next phase, the project coordination team (including BATIK Int, CDI, and GRET) agreed with two provincial partners (Hai Duong Province’s Confederation of Labor and Vinh Phuc Province’s Confederation of Labour) to focus on promoting activities to strengthen a core group of workers, promoting dialogue between grassroots unions and employers, gender equality, promoting information provision and communication to employees.

Regarding the exit strategy after the project ends, the parties agree that the project is only part of the journey to create long-term and positive change for employees. The project is a bridge between employees and stakeholders such as businesses, local authorities, labor unions, and insurance agencies, among others. When the project ends, the parties will continue the process proactively and responsibly for a common goal. The provincial Labor Confederation will be an effective representative agency for workers’ rights, proactively consulting with authorities at all levels to develop and implement policies and actively monitoring and checking the implementation of employee policies. Employees also actively give opinions on their rights and have a more balanced position with related parties.

CDI Vietnam.