Ruta Projects

Recent projects

Strategic policy development
We are commissioned to scope, research and write agenda-setting papers on major new issues within the labour standards field. Examples include: labour standards and public procurement, the intersection of public and private enforcement of labour standards, decent work and development, and labour standards within international agrarian supply chains.

Policy implementation tools
For private sector and public sector clients we construct internal toolkits to support implementation of labour policies. These typically include provision of country and sector risk assessment, good practice notes, due diligence tools and reporting frameworks.

Project evaluations
We undertake in-country project evaluations for international agencies, lenders, trade unions and governments. Recent evaluations have covered industrial, retail and agricultural investements as well as reviews of national labour law and stakeholder engagement.

Risk assessment and site visits
We undertake site visits to assess labour risk and delivery of remedial actions at funded projects, and we provide the labour risk components for wider social and environmental impact assessments.

Training
We offer in-house customised training on labour issues for banking and sustainability staff within financial institutions. This can cover identification of labour risks, compliance with international norms, implementation of voluntary standards or company codes, development of monitoring and risk assessment processes. We also provide training on more general developments on employment law for industry associations and human resource professionals.
 
Research and special projects
We undertake bespoke research on a range of related subjects. Recent examples include: labour standards within institutional investment, implementation of labour codes of practice within supply chains, employment and private equity, labour standards and agricultural commodities.

Facilitation and management
We provide external management and facilitation for individual stakeholder meetings, and ongoing forums and networks.

 


 

Clients

Include

International Finance Corporation (IFC)
International Labour Organisation (ILO)
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Better Cotton Initiative (BCI)
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
European Investment Bank (EIB)
UK Department for International Development (DFID)
Local Authority Pension Funds Forum (LAPFF)
FLO-Cert (FLO-Cert)
Federation of Belgian Workers (FGTB / ABVV)
Deutsche Investitions - und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbh (DEG)
Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden N.V. (FMO)
Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD)
UNI Global Union (UNI)
Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
European Commission DG Employment, Social Affairs, Equal Opportunities (EC)
ILO/IFC Better Work programme (BetterWork)

What we do

  • Provide strategic information and analysis on international labour issues
  • Work with organisations to develop models to promote labour rights through operational and stakeholder structures
  • Deliver bespoke research and consultancy to governments, trade unions, international organisations, NGOs and investors
  • Train a wide range of stakeholders, from shop stewards to international bankers, on labour issues
  • Advise on the implementation of labour standards questions within socially responsible investment frameworks
  • Evaluate projects and audit systems

 

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Ergon Associates Ltd. info@ergonassociates.net