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Impactt Overtime Project
Reducing excessive overtime hours in factories in China
The Impactt Overtime Project ran from 2001 to 2004 – developed in association with 11 purchasing companies, 9 factories in China and a range of local project partners in Hong Kong and mainland China – has demonstrated that in certain circumstances it is possible to reduce excessive overtime working without reducing workers wages or factory profitability.
At the beginning of the project, an in-depth evaluation of labour practices was carried out based on a detailed inspection of the site, interviews with management, review of records and worker interviews carried out by independent researchers from local organisations. These visits not only aimed to understand the issues faced by the factories but also to grasp some of the root causes and factors that were perpetuating the situation.
Impactt then partnered with local organisations to develop and deliver a series of business related inputs designed to address these root causes and to support improvements in each factory. These included:
- training and consultancy in productivity from locally based industrial engineers
- consultancy visit and training session in human resources management
- workshops on improving communication between workers, supervisors and managers
During the project’s lifetime most factories saw increased productivity, reduced reworking, steady or increasing pay and reduced worker turnover. Although most factories achieved reductions in working hours, none were able to be consistently compliant with Chinese labour law.
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