What began as shared effort to address labour standards violations, a novel collaboration has grown into a model for legal empowerment, student education, and broader sectoral advocacy.
For garment workers in Ethiopia’s Hawassa Special Economic Zone facing unfair treatment or harassment, factory grievance handling systems are not always trusted or effective. A partnership between Better Work and Hawassa University is building a stronger system where workers have somewhere to turn for legal advice and support.
The Better Work factory engagement model supports development of internal grievance mechanisms. Factories receive advisory support to help establish and strengthen these systems for preventing disputes and handling grievances effectively.
However, these procedures are not always enough.
“In the first cycle of assessment in the Hawassa Industrial Park, we saw some serious issues, including a clear-cut case of sexual harassment,” says Tigist Fisseha, a programme officer with Better Work. “Some of these issues can be solved through Better Work’s advisory services inside the factory. But workers also need somewhere else to go, especially when they don’t have confidence in internal systems. That takes time to build.”
Better Work Ethiopia, then part of the broader One ILO programme, called SIRAYE, turned to a potentially valuable resource: Hawassa University’s legal aid centre.
The university was approached in 2021 with a proposal to provide services to garment workers with seed funding and training from Better Work. The university agreed and committed to continue the centres and staff them beyond the initial funding period.
Yirgalem Germu, a law lecturer at Hawassa University and legal coordinator for the project, has helped steer the initiative from the outset “We started with one centre,” he explains. “Now, with support from the SIRAYE programme, we have four – each opened in response to local needs.”
The locations were chosen to provide ready access for workers. One is inside the compound of the city’s local “first instance” court, where labour cases are heard. Another is near the industrial park itself, situated in a police station to providing support for workers during commuting hours. The third is in a residential village where many low-income workers live. The fourth, in Shashemane – 28 kilometres away – was established at the request of a local judge concerned about citizens losing cases for lack of legal representation.
Workers can visit these centres in person or phone in to receive legal advice. Most of the services are provided by supervised law students in their final years of study, who act as paralegals and assist with document preparation. Complex cases, or those referred directly by the courts, are handled by law professors like Yirgalem.
Demand is high, with 15 to 20 new cases per week, often involving unlawful dismissal. Workers often seek compensation over reinstatement, fearing retaliation. When informal mediation fails, the centre helps workers prepare for court, and has achieved success in most cases, winning awards ranging from 2,500 to 2.5 million Birr (USD 45 to 4500). In 2024, 478 workers received free legal aid.
The service provides immense value to workers, according to Fisseha, with legal services delivered being worth over three times the original cost, a strong return on investment.
The legal centre branches out
The programme’s impact extends beyond individual cases and has become a hub for advocacy, education, and systemic change.
“Our centre also focuses on training, advocacy, and legal research,” says Yirgalem. “We have delivered training to paralegals, law enforcement, trade unions, and even investment officials.” Topics have ranged from collective bargaining and gender equality to criminal procedures for handling harassment.
A standout initiative is the Merahit Girls’ Club, which sees law students running awareness campaigns outside the industrial park. The women hand out brochures in Sidama, the local language, and speak with workers after shifts. “It’s incredibly impactful,” says Yirgalem, “both for the workers and for the students.”
In late 2023, 230 women from the park participated in a training and campaign focused on gender-based violence and women’s rights under Ethiopian labour and criminal law. As Yirgalem emphasizes, “Reduction of gender-based violence at the workplace is an essential activity for labour relations and industrial peace.”
This partnership between Better Work Ethiopia and Hawassa University reflects the potential of local collaboration. “It’s not just about resolving individual cases,” says Tigist. “It’s about creating a stronger system – one where workers know their rights, have somewhere to go, and where justice is possible.”