SAI's China team, Jane Liu and Martin Ma, helped prepare and presented at the GTZ/Tchibo WE Project Stakeholder Conference in Shenzhen, China on 10 December.  A diverse group - including brands, NGOs, suppliers, workers, auditors, consultants, donors and academics - assembled for an animated day of presentations about the project's dialogue approach to factory improvement.  Coordinated by Sustainability Agents and NeoSys, the project engaged four local teams of trainers to conduct worker-manager training. The training addressed how to jointly identify and analyze problems in the workplace and how to develop action plans for change. The overall goal is to achieve win-win situations: progress in both labor standards and business performance.

SAI's training team, led by Ms. Liu [see photo], was honored to have trained three of the 8 factories featured at the event.  Workers and managers presented on their experience, the methodology employed and the improvements that managers and workers had agreed upon and put in place.     

[Pictured above: Jane Liu, SAI China Trainer, teaches best practices to a group of Chinese factory workers and managers] 

One particularly important aspect of the conference was that both workers and managers presented in small groups and participated in the plenary session.  Several workers proved themselves to be excellent presenters, although prior to the training they had been reticent to speak up. Overall, the six-step dialogue approach is an effective program for initiating change in factories. The initiative is similar to, but more streamlined than SAI's previous worker-manager training in China, as featured in SAI and CIPE's 2009 case study- From Words to Action: A Business Case for Implementing Workplace Standards. SAI-China will continue working with Tchibo, GTZ, and the coordinating organizations to expand the program.
 
Nanda Bergstein, Senior Manager Corporate Responsibility at Tchibo offered the following reflections on the workshop, next steps for the WE Project, and extended an invitation:

"The stakeholder conference was a starting point for us to share our experiences gained in the WE project and learn from the valuable feedback received from the participants. At present, we are consolidating the lessons learned and seeking more in depth discussions with various stakeholders. Starting in 2010, we will roll out the WE project into our supply chain. In addition, we would be pleased to collaborate with more brands and retailers, governmental and non-governmental organizations and trade unions to make the training approach accessible beyond the Tchibo-sphere. This is a standing invitation to interested parties to contact us for further engagement and exchange."

The WE project is a significant advance in Tchibo's search for innovative ways to promote supply chain compliance.  During the meeting, some of the other buyers proposed a follow-up meeting of buyers, at which they will explore ways to build on this model. SAI applauds Tchibo's willingness to sponsor this kind of innovation and capacity building at the local level and to encourage others to share in the benefits of their investment.  SAI also applauds the work of staff members Jane Liu, Bob Wang, and Martin Ma, and the collaboration of Solidaridad-Netherlands.

For more information about the WE Project, please visit www.we-socialquality.com