Project launched to support employee mental wellness in garment sector

AMMAN — Better Work Jordan has launched a project aimed to support mental health of workers in the garment sector, mainly female workers who make up the majority of the sector’s workforce. 

Better Work Jordan was created in 2009 as a partnership between the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, according to its website.

The project focusses on building the capabilities of the garment sector’s workforce to adapt to mental health challenges, including the ability to ask for help.

A total of 65,026 people work in the garment sector, out of which 72 per cent are women, while the majority of the workforce are migrant workers, standing at 76 per cent, the Jordan News Agency, Petra,  reported citing a statement from the project. 

The statement added that workers in this sector, especially women and migrant workers, are experiencing various challenges related to living and working conditions, including work hours, production pressure, access to services, in addition to the linguistic barriers and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected workers mental health.

The programme engages with workers, employers and governments to improve working conditions and boost competitiveness of the garment industry

Since last December, Better Work Jordan has enrolled 88 factories, covering 95 per cent of the Kingdom’s garment industry workers, in the project.