Workers Rights in Guatemala

Profile of COVERCO - A Pioneer of Independent Monitoring

In 1997, a group of professionals and leaders in Guatemala’s civil society came together to create COVERCO or the Commission for the Verification of Corporate Codes of Conduct. Coverco has pioneered the effort in advancing independent monitoring of working conditions in Guatemala’s garment factories and agricultural export industries. Coverco is one of only a few NGO’s worldwide that monitors working conditions and evaluates compliance with standards established in codes of conduct and pertinent national and international law. The model Coverco has developed is recognized by the Lawyers Committee and others as not only successful, but as a prototype for others entering the field. Because of their expertise, Coverco plays an important role as an accredited monitor of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and as a member of the FLA NGO Advisory Council. The Lawyers Committee is a founding board member of the FLA and an active participant in the FLA NGO Advisory Council.

Through independent monitoring and verification of Codes of Conduct, Coverco seeks to foster a vision of how business in Guatemala can be successful in the global economy while bringing greater benefits to workers, their communities and all of society. Coverco believes that, to respond to the demands of global consumers and to thrive in the global economy, business in Guatemala must develop a competitive advantage by providing decent working conditions in addition to product price and quality.

Among their various activities, Coverco has worked extensively with Liz Claiborne, Inc. and The Gap to monitor their factories in Guatemala. Recent Coverco reports on Liz Claiborne’s factories in Guatemala provide a useful example of their work. In addition to the apparel industry, Coverco has also monitored working conditions in the agricultural (principally coffee) and electrical sectors. Coverco is actively engaged in the capacity building of NGOs throughout Central America in the field of monitoring. They regularly conduct training workshops throughout the region and are, in turn, working to build a coalition of NGOs engaged in monitoring.