Participating Organisations - Joint İnitaitive on Corporate Accountability and Workers Rights

NEWS
Quick, Up-to-date Information about the Jo-In Project in Turkey
Published Every Two Months

Jo-In Seeks New Project Manager
Project moves forward with leadership from Istanbul

Jo-In’s International Project Manager Sebastian Van der Vegt has left the project and the Jo-In Steering Committee will conduct interviews with the candidates.

In the meantime, the project moves ahead with guidance from Project Chair Vic Thorpe and Turkey Project Coordinator Ayse Ozver. Ayse soon will be working from a new Jo-In office in Istanbul, which will open this summer. Watch this space for more management updates.

Check Out Jo-In’s
New Website!
A new easier-to-use,
bi-lingual Jo-In
website has been
launched. Turkish
pages will be
avaliable in coming
days. It will be
updated periodically,
so please check back
regularly.
www.jo-in.org

Fact: Each factory
participating in Jo-In
opted to join the
project after a
selection process
that involved local &
international
stakeholder input.
Each sources to one
or more of the
brands participating
in the project, i.e.
• adidas (FLA)
• Gap (ETI, SAI)
• Hess Natur (FWF)
• M&S (ETI)
• Nike (FLA)
• Patagonia (FLA)
• Puma (FLA)

Jo-In Trials Ready to Roll
Project team will first meet with factory management

The assessment teams have been selected and trained. The factory assessment and worker interview methodology has been drafted, consulted upon, and finalized. The groundwork for the project has been laid. This means that the first step in Jo-In factory trials – i.e. assessments of freedom of association, hours of work, and wages in participating factories – can begin. Background research, including reviews of past audit data and consultations with local experts, will begin in July 2006.

But before starting that process, project staff will hold follow-up meetings with management in the six participating factories to review any remaining questions they may have. Turkey Project Coordinator Ayse Ozver will conduct these meetings with factory management at the begining of July. Off-site worker interviews are slated to begin in July as well and factory visits are being planned in August.

In parallel to the assessments, groundwork for a study on home-working and subcontracting in Turkey will also start this summer. See the attached timeline for more about the anticipated project roll-out.

Introducing the Jo-In Training Seminar
Empowering local stakeholders to access “the six “

Turkish trade unions, NGOs, business associations, factory management, and brand representatives will be invited to participate in a two-day, Turkish-language training seminar that offers a comprehensive overview of the make-up and work of the six organizations in Jo-In. Based on findings from the needs assessments conducted among Turkish stakeholders, special attention will be paid to complaints mechanisms at the factory, brand, and MSI levels. Invitations have been sent to the local stakeholders and confirmations are being received for two seperated seminars on18th and 19-20th July.

Convening Stakeholders ~ Upcoming Events
> July 2006 :	International Advisory Panel (IAP)representatives will be nominated and meet virtually.With the participation of local stakeholders, Jo-In Training Seminar will be organized in Istanbul.
> September 2006:	Jo-In Local Working Group (LWG) will meet in Turkey to discuss remediation strategies.
> October 2006 :	Jo-In Steering Committee, LWG, and IAP will assemble in Istanbul to focus on the question of a living wage in Turkey and other key remediation strategies

HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT JO-IN? If you are a member of one of the six organizations leading Jo-In, please contact your representative on the project Steering Committee. Or email info@jo-in.org.

Attachment 1: Tentative Project Timeline

Month	Activities
June 2006	SC summarizes some “good practice” remediation strategies relating to Hours of Work, Freedom of Association, and Wages based on the experiences of MSIs. This will be among the inputs used to identify and agree upon remediation guidance.
July 2006	Final meetings with factory management to review project policies and reconfirm participation Final assembly and training of assesment teams. .Assessment teams begin background research on factories (including review of previous audit reports and local stakeholder interviews). Off-site worker interviews begin for first assessments. 3 days of training for local stakeholders focusing on the 6 MSIs participating in Jo-In and effective use of their complaints systems. International Advisory Panel (made up of 2 representatives from trade unions, brands, and NGOs) meets by phone to consider key remediation strategies and next steps.
August – November 2006	Assessments continue on a rolling basis, starting with background research, working through off-site worker interviews and factory visits, and ending in reports on assessment findings.
August 2006	Inviting Local Working Group to discuss remediation strategies in general terms in September. Groundwork for Jo-In’s study on subcontracting and Turkey’s informal sector begins (and continues in coming months). Draft agenda for October meetings circulated.
September 2006	Local Working Group meets in Turkey to discuss remediation strategies in general terms. Project collects data about the economic conditions for Turkey’s garment sector -- for use in October’s living wage discussions. Preparations for October meetings, including compilation of initial assessment outcomes.
October 2006	Meetings in Turkey, involving international and local stakeholders: o 1-day meeting on living wage implementation in Turkey’s garment sector o 1-day meeting on remediation strategies in light of initial assessment findings o 1-day steering committee meeting.
November 2006	Reporting on October meetings and ongoing activities. Begin process of agreeing upon and then implementing remediation plans.
December 2006 – June 2007	Remediation activities are undertaken and observed. A second stakeholder meeting is slated to take place in Turkey in spring 2007, bringing stakeholders together again to consider lessons from project.
July-December 2007	Assessors conduct follow-up visits to factories to observe progress and outcomes of remediation efforts. Reporting and final consultations with stakeholder regarding project lessons and next steps.

JO-IN PROJECT UPDATE – APRIL 2006