Between March 19th and 24th, SMART’s industrial relations training team began a workplace dialogue assessment & advisory program at two of the factories supplying for C&A. The SMART team interviewed workers, supervisors, foreign technicians, WCC members, middle management and also top managers. The team also checked some required policy procedures and documentation with the factory management team, per SMART's normal procedures. The purpose of this program is to assess the situation in the companies with regards to freedom of association & grievance mechanisms and then to advise and guide on implementing improvements. SMART assessors discussed about working conditions, disciplinary procedures and anti-discrimination. The assessments took 2 days per factory, by the team of five SMART assessors. Each factory will receive a detailed advisory report recommending workplace improvements which can be made and the companies will be supported with on-site training in the months to come. This support intervention is co-funded by the European Union and C&A's donations to the project.

"Workplace dialogue in these days become an essential foundation to helping organizations to deliver better performance and enable workers, WCC and labour unions to understand their roles, rights and obligations in the corporate strategy. Better workplace dialogue system is the key to lower the severe risks of Labour disputes and strikes and potentially improves working conditions and well functioning employment relations." ~ Technical Experts from SMART Textile & Garments' industrial relations training team.