On Saturday morning we went to COVERCO (Commision for the Verification of Codes of Conduct) and talked about the labor situation and the impact of globalization on workers' rights in Guatemala.  The speaker was Homero Fuentes, the coordinator of COVERCO.  He described COVERCO as a not-for-profit organization that defined itself as an independent auditor of compliance to labor laws.  The "independent" part was key to the operation of COVERCO, since it needed to be seen as impartial and outside the influence of any governmental, corporate or public organization of any kind if it was to continue to provide its service.  It strives for objectivity, transparency and independence in everything it does.  The essential services of COVERCO are audits of companies to assess compliance to labor laws, training of people (including employees) as to what the laws are and what workers' rights are and investigations that result in public reports of working conditions.  Although COVERCO is in Guatemala, its independence is such an asset that it does work for many other countries.  Check out their website to see some of their public reports and details about what they do and who they work with.  If you are interested in knowing what the workers' rights record is of the companies you patronize, this web site may be an interesting resource to check from time-to-time.  New information is always being posted.

Visit the COVERCO website.
 

	We listened as Homero Fuentes explained the mission of COVERCO.  We heard familiar coorporation names (GAP, Starbucks, Liz Claiborne, etc.) when the audits were described and were intrigued by the unique niche that COVERCO occupied.  A very effective and unique organization.