This project saw the FWC India team engage with a community of skilled artisans and helpers in Bagru Village, Rajasthan. The community consisted of around two hundred families, spanning four generations, some of whom worked at a small-scale block printing facility, which fell outside of the scope of the Factories Act. Our team reviewed the working conditions, and employment terms at the facility, with the goal of ensuring that basic safety and health standards were being met, while also identifying areas for improvement. Key findings revealed significant concerns around safety hazards, inadequate sanitation, and lack of formal employment documentation, alongside a culture of informal operations.

The report concluded with practical recommendations for improving worker safety and working conditions, including enhancing electrical safety, introducing fire safety equipment, and providing basic health and safety training for workers.

The project undertaken by the FWC team for a UK client focused on assessing the human rights implications of seasonal wild rosehip harvesting in the Andean foothills of Southern Chile. This traditional activity, typically carried out by extended family members in remote areas, is vital for the local economy, as workers sell their harvest to processors who, in turn, trade it internationally. However, the unregulated nature of this seasonal work poses various challenges when it comes to ensuring fair and ethical working conditions. The project focused on some key areas including Health & Safety of Workers; Fair Compensation; Child & Juvenile Labour Risks; General Labour Rights and Working Conditions. By focusing on these key concerns, the human rights assessment report provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by workers in the seasonal industry whilst importantly offering recommendations to promote ethical and sustainable practices within the rosehip harvesting industry.

Mauritius is a key destination for migrant factory workers from countries such as India, Bangladesh, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, who migrate overseas in search of better opportunities. In response to reports of de facto forced labor arising from illegal practices—including exploitative recruitment agent fees in workers; countries of origin, passport retention by employers, discriminatory practices, and unequal treatment—FWC was commissioned to conduct a field investigation into these critical concerns.

Our multilingual team engaged directly with workers in factory accommodation blocks at three different locations. This enabled us to hear firsthand accounts from workers who are often isolated and far from home, offering an invaluable, uncensored insight into their living and working conditions.

The result of this investigation was a powerful and eye-opening report that highlighted the exploitation faced by these workers. It also gave a much-needed voice to those who are often voiceless in such circumstances. Following the project, remediation plans and programs were developed in consultation with our client and factory managers to address these issues.

An investigation into factory lockdowns during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, focused on the Vietnamese government's emergency measures to sustain national production and export levels. These measures allowed factories to set up temporary accommodation facilities on-site. As a result, at least 500,000 employees were enrolled in a ‘3-on-site’ program, where they were required to eat, sleep, and work at the factory 24/7.

While the program adhered to COVID-19 testing, social distancing, and PPE regulations, it allowed workers to continue supporting their families financially during this challenging time. However, it still presented significant challenges to working conditions. Employees were forced to sleep at workstations or in makeshift tents in parking lots, raising concerns about their physical well-being and the long-term sustainability of such practices.

A challenging 12-month project which involved conducting comprehensive human rights assessments of working and living conditions across multiple offshore oil and gas platforms, ships, and vessels operating along coastal regions in Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Angola, Qatar, and Myanmar. The assessment covered a diverse group of workers, including multinational seafarers, land-based support staff, and auxiliary personnel from subcontractors, agencies, and labour suppliers.

FWC teams across each country engaged directly on-site and via desktop with all crew levels, navigating a culturally and linguistically diverse supply chain. The assessment measured working conditions against our clients' code of conduct, relevant national or flag state labour laws and the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.