Learning, Dialogue, and Action Strengthen Workers’ Rights in Hawassa Textile Sector

Industrial park workers from Ethiopia’s textile sector gathered in Hawassa for a four-day workshop organized by FES Ethiopia, where participants used the space to openly share their experiences, concerns, and expectations around workers’ rights. Held under the theme “Enhancing Resilience in the Textile Sector by Increasing Workers’ Rights,” the workshop became a platform for workers to voice the realities of factory life and to call for concrete changes across the sector.

Participants stressed the need for better awareness of workers’ rights and responsibilities, noting that many workers enter factories without clear information on labor laws, contracts, or grievance procedures. Several participants called for stronger and more active trade unions, emphasizing that unionization and effective Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) are essential to improving wages, working hours, and overall working conditions. Workers repeatedly highlighted that rights on paper must be matched by real implementation on the factory floor.

One of the most impactful moments of the workshop was the discussion on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace. Participants spoke openly about the importance of dignity, safety, and mutual respect at work, stressing that harassment affects not only individuals but the entire workplace environment. The final day focused on social dialogue, bringing workers together with employer and government representatives in a tripartite exercise that showed how cooperation and communication can help prevent conflict and build fairer industrial relations.

Throughout the workshop, participants consistently emphasized that empowering workers through information, dialogue, and collective action is key to building resilient workplaces. Their calls were clear: fair wages, safe working conditions, respect, and genuine dialogue must be at the center of Ethiopia’s textile sector if it is to be sustainable and just.