FLA and AAFA urge the King of Jordan to maintain ILO-IFC Better Work Jordan and the Workers Center

In a letter to Royal Highness King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) urged the Jordanian government to fully maintain the International Labor Organization (ILO)-International Finance Corporation (IFC) Better Work Jordan program and the Workers Center supported by the ILO.

The letter reads in part, “ILO-IFC Better Work Jordan and the Workers Center provide essential protections for and critical services to all workers in Jordan’s garment industry – both Jordanian workers and foreign migrant workers. ILO-IFC Better Work Jordan and the Workers Center provide our members, the buyers, the guarantees they need to confidently source from Jordan because they provide assurance that international labor rights standards are being independently assessed and consistently met. Without the guarantees that these two programs provide buyers, buyers will lose trust that all workers in Jordan’s garment industry are employed in safe, ethical, and fair workplaces…

“The bottom line is that ILO-IFC Better Work Jordan and the Workers Center make Jordan’s garment industry run more efficiently and effectively and have contributed significantly to the growth of Jordan’s garment industry. The elimination of these programs would stymie that growth. At a time when buyers have to make significant decisions about the future of their sourcing, the disappearance of these programs will create uncertainty that will turn what should be a great opportunity for Jordan into an opportunity lost.”

Read the full letter.