Tchibo Joining with GTZ to Improve Labour Conditions of Asian Suppliers

Tchibo is one of the biggest chains of retail coffee shops and cafes in Germany. The GTZ “Worldwide Enhancement of Social Quality”, initiative was recently launched as a public-private partnership (PPP) project between Tchibo and GTZ. The project has two objectives: capacity building for local trainer organizations (trainer training) and improving working conditions for Tchibo’s suppliers around Asia. the project started work with the non-food sector in China in January 2008, and continued with Bangladesh in April 2008, and Thailand in August 2008.

Meanwhile, Thailand is selecting 4-6 local trainer organizations to be supported through a series of training programmes, a supplier workshop and factory visits. Ten Tchibo suppliers will join the project, which aims at improving social standards within the supplier companies. International experts will develop a detailed training concept to enhance internal communication and cooperation between managers and workers as well as to institutionalize ‘good practice’ for better working conditions. Trainer training will enhance capacity of local trainers, and will cover dialogue-training as well as technical courses on basic topics related to social standards (e.g. discrimination in the work place, child and/or forced labour, occupational health, fair wages and working times). consultants.

It is hoped that the three year pilot project will serve as a reference model for Asian countries, and we anticipate that the recommended best practices will be later implemented by other commercial enterprises. In the longer term the project aims at facilitating direct access for supplier companies to local specialist consultants.