Highlight: Marie Apostol on Embedding Worker Voice into Company Systems
As the 20th Anniversary Celebration drew to a close, Executive Director Marie Apostol took the stage. Looking back on DIWA’s journey and the importance of worker voice, she asked: where do we go from here, and how do we help companies improve their systems thinking towards effective preventive and corrective actions?
20th Anniversary Event Gallery
Photo and Video documentation by Brent Bueno and Kevin Kho of Storyline Studios
20 Years of Dignity in Work for All: a glimpse into our work
As we celebrate two decades of hard work and dedication to social responsibility and change, here is a glimpse into DIWA’s 20-year journey: highlighting our beginnings, the progress of our work in the region and beyond, and the values that continue to guide our mission.
DIWA hopes to continue collaborating with partners and allies in the pursuit of deeper and more meaningful social and economic justice.
Bringing Stories from the Field – Forward
As we mark 20 years of Dignity in Work All, we wanted to take a moment to speak with the people behind the hard work, our colleagues who have been in the field, in communities, and on the ground where change happens. These reflections highlight not only the challenges they’ve faced, but also the quiet, powerful victories that have defined our shared journey.
Since 2007, DIWA has been documenting the true cost of a migrant worker’s job, mainly driven by excessive recruitment fees and related costs levied on migrant workers, often leading to debt bondage.
Through our repayment programs — anchored on data triangulated from workers’ disclosures on what they paid, the published government and market rates, and key stakeholder information, like data from recruitment agencies in both sending and receiving countries — we have facilitated at least thirty-five million dollars (USD) in direct repayment to workers.
DIWA continues to champion ethical recruitment towards a future where migrant workers do not have to pay for a job.
DIWA’s approach to social audits emphasizes the importance of work-centered engagement.
Creating a culture where voices are included in decision-making through functional committees and safe grievance channels does not happen overnight. But it does happen.
All our audits involve worker interviews, geared towards building effective and constructive communication between workers and management.
“We had to look for workers where they hang out. We didn’t just go to the factories. We looked for them in supermarkets, in their bus stops, and other places where we would find them.
We made sure that interviews take place where workers can feel confident and safe to tell us their stories, in their own language.
Direct engagement with workers is key— whether on the street, in fishing ports, in junkshops and recycling centers. These are places outside the scope of social audits, but still important to global supply chains. “
Milestones
Many significant and memorable moments have shaped #DignityinWork today. While it is difficult to distill this down into a snapshot of DIWA’s work over the years, here are some key milestones we have achieved together with partners and friends in the social responsibility movement:
Staying Connected
While the anniversary celebration is a private event, we wanted to share the milestones, achievements, and highlights of the organization with the rest of the community through this page.
This is just the beginning.
As we move through our anniversary year, we’ll be sharing more about how we plan to celebrate this milestone including stories from the field, new initiatives, and details about our upcoming anniversary event. Keep an eye on this space for updates, and join us as we continue to work towards dignity for workers everywhere.
