Hawassa Industrial Park Starts Grievance Call Centre for Workers
ADDIS ABABA – A Workers’ Call Center has been launched in the Hawassa Industrial Park (HIP) as part of an effort to prevent abuses in the working place.
The HIP, Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC), the International Labor Organization (ILO), and other agencies collaborated to set up the Workers’ call center.
The center provides anonymous grievance recording and consulting services to workers.
The service is expected to strengthen the labor management system and the industrial relations in the industrial parks, the IEC Officials said.
The Industrial Park said the Call Centre is established to address workers’ grievances in a prompt and confidential way, and provide appropriate referral support and advice.
The HIP officials expect the center would play a key role to promote sound labor relations by supporting the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of workers.
The launchung of the workers’ call center “is an important step in giving the voice to the workers and to fight against sexual harassment and Gender-Based Violence,” said Kidist Chala, One ILO/Siraye Programme.
At least 80% of the total of 35,000 workers in factories that the Hawassa Industrial Park hosted are women
Their number is even higher among employees of the apparel manufacturing firms that have more than 100,000 workers and, of which, upto 90% of are women sewers.
The center is also tasked to provide accurate and timely information about labor laws, standards, and procedures to workers and employers in a simplified manner, according to the Industrial park.
