Grievance Mechanisms in Cotton-Textile Clusters in Uzbekistan

New growth opportunities for Uzbekistan’s cotton-textile sector are in sight, thanks to the country’s changing labor landscape — including eradication of systemic child and forced labor, lifting of the Cotton Campaign boycott in 2022, and the creation of a vertically integrated cotton-to-garment value chain. As of fall 2023, there are 142 cotton-textile clusters in Uzbekistan.

For international buyers seeking to enhance their supply chain transparency, Uzbekistan offers transparent supply chains within a single country, from the farm to the finished product. Companies sourcing from Uzbekistan can also shape the in-country working and environmental conditions by introducing effective grievance mechanisms, international labor and environmental standards, and social dialogue. FLA has been engaging with various stakeholders in Uzbekistan since 2018.

FLA’s prior work in Uzbekistan

From 2018 to 2020, with funding from the International Labor Organisation (ILO)’s Decent Work Country Programme in Uzbekistan, FLA held trainings and stakeholder consultations and organized a high-level national roundtable on business and human rights. The program trained about 200 national and regional stakeholders, including labor inspectors on fair recruitment of seasonal agriculture workers, integrating human rights into business, monitoring, and remediation of decent work principles at the cotton farms, and operating effective grievance mechanisms.

In 2023, FLA conducted a supply chain mapping study for Better Cotton, which aimed to examine and make recommendations on the chain of custody documentation and processes, traceability, and the potential for integration into a segregated chain of custody model at cotton-textile clusters in Uzbekistan.

Strengthening and building capacity on effective grievance mechanisms in cotton-textile clusters in Uzbekistan

Through a grant provided by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, FLA engaged in activities in Uzbekistan to strengthen access to remedy for cotton-textile cluster workers.

FLA implemented the first phase of this two-part project, which focused on developing functioning grievance mechanisms in three selected cotton-textile clusters in Uzbekistan, between December 2019 and March 2023. During that time, FLA trained 195 field-level management, staff, and brigade leaders working directly with garment sector workers in cut and sew factories and ginning operations, and employees on cotton farms on:

Reviewing human rights due diligence and emerging international regulations;
Understanding key components of effective grievance mechanisms;
Identifying conflicts and resolutions; and
Utilizing social dialogue as an effective tool for dispute resolution and management.

The three cotton-textile clusters developed an action plan to address the identified gaps in their grievance redressal mechanisms. FLA supported the implementation of the action plans by providing follow-up training, supporting resources, advisory sessions, and one-on-one coaching, as well as developing and sharing a toolkit on grievance mechanisms with the clusters. The aims of the project were to train workers in the three clusters and to scale efforts by building local capacity of multiple stakeholders in Uzbekistan. Findings were shared in a project-end webinar.

Also supported by a GIZ-provided grant, the second phrase of the project centers on building the capacity of local human and labor rights practitioners. Between October 2023 and September 2024, the project deploys train-the-trainer modules to 100 interested stakeholders who will then be equipped to run trainings for the clusters. Trainings are planned in Bukhara, Fergana, Samarkand, and Tashkent in May 2024. FLA will deepen focus on the three pilot clusters to conduct worker trainings on grievance mechanisms.

FLA and GIZ organized a side session at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Forum in Paris in February 2024 on this topic, bringing together experts — including the Cotton Campaign, the ILO’s Better Work Programme, Better Cotton, and the Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Industry Association — to discuss next steps for the cotton and textile industry in Uzbekistan. Panelists spoke about addressing human resources due diligence, improving working conditions, and fostering sustainable practices in cotton production, as well as the need for robust grievance mechanisms and continued forced labor remediation.