Blue Collar

Our Solution aims to connect manual workers with companies, creating an equitable and exploitation-free working environment in the process, ensuring workers' rights and benefits are met.

Our solution is a purpose-driven for-profit project called Blue Collar that strives to create an exploitation-free equitable working environment for workers, who have been exploited by acquisitive companies over the years.  Interested workers can register under our platform via a plethora of methods, and once they register with us, they are officially an asset under us. After registration, workers go through an incentivized training program aimed at improving their employability. Via these training programs, we scrutinize the worker’s current skills and at what type of project would suit him the most. We will continue negotiations with various companies interested in getting a skilled batch of workers. We will thoroughly scrutinize the background, history, and monetary situation of the companies we send our workers to. Making reasonable research on the project with the help of our field agents; If the worker package is lucrative and it turns out to be fair, we will provide the potential batch of workers to the companies. And later on, we would work with the companies to ensure ethical responsibility while maximizing worker output with our app specially designed to meet the needs.

Undocumented labor has been one of the root causes of exploitation and ill-treatment of workers in recent times. The lack of regulation and the ambiguity in the system makes it possible for local worker unions and construction agencies alike to exploit workers to increase their profit. These workers do not have negotiating powers, and due to a lack of alternatives, they are bound to continue working in this sluggish exploitative environment. 

There are more than 65 Million Labourers in Bangladesh, our base of operation. And almost all of these workers lead a very unstable life. They need to live from one day’s wage to the next, and this leads’s tremendous unpredictability in their lives. If for some reason, they fail to work one day, they have to starve that day, and this has become quite banal. They have little to no financial safety, and they don’t have any community backing them up. 

A lack of accountability from local worker unions is contributing to this the most, and since these unions only look after their own profit, they tend to neglect worker rights and benefits. Furthermore, the workers not being unionized cannot negotiate for better wages. Stemming from these, the workers not only lead a very unstable life but also workplace productivity is rather low. Due to lower benefits and rights, workers cannot utilize their skillsets to the fullest, consequently adding little growth to the overall economy. 

Construction and manual workers are our target population. Since our base of Operation is Bangladesh, our initial prototype is built around the social context around here, although our model can be easily scaled anywhere

We are meaningfully improving the lives of these workers, whose life more or less go on like this- They need to look for employment daily, finding whatever labor job they get. They need to work in an extremely unsafe environment the whole day, with little to no care for breaks or benefits, and then at the end of the day, have to agree to whatever their employer wants to pay them. Since these workers don’t have any other alternative, they can neither rebel nor negotiate. And this exploitative cycle continues for days in and out, with no hopes for a stable and secure future for themselves or their family. We give stability to these people. After they register under us, they are effectively an entity under us, and till they get their first contract, and after completing the training program, each worker are entitled to an option of soft loans. This helps them to get by until they have employment. And since these workers are under our platform, we negotiate on their behalf. Only after rigorously researching the company placing the order, and negotiating a fair wage for the workers, do we provide a batch of workers to these companies. We also make sure that benefits are provided, and the worksite is safe.

We have gone through a long period of data collection amongst workers and companies. Our initial prototype mainly targets foreign investors around EPZ’s, and that is why those have been our focal points of data collection. We have collected information like the demographics and wage range, project types, project lengths, types of workers employed, and availability of smartphones/internet. 

We have tweaked our project as the data demanded. For instance, when we noticed that there’s a great smartphone penetration rate amongst workers, we have developed the wireframe of our app keeping that in mind, so that workers can register easily using just their mobile phones. We also acknowledge, many workers do not have smartphones, and that is why we have kept the option for registering via simple SMS as well. We have talked with companies as well, and we have kept their needs in mind. Companies struggle to find competent workers from a reliable source, and irregularity at the workplace is often a case. We make sure all our workers are skilled and punctual. Most importantly, we wanted to see how the worker's response would be to our idea, and as we predicted workers were keen on working with our platform. We realize the needs of workers and companies alike, and how an efficient connector like us can fill the gap and solve the existing clashes. 

Our idea is at the prototype stage. One of the key things that needed development was the app, and we have made progress with its wireframe. Furthermore, we are working on our SMS-registration system. We are planning out and implementing a proper logistical chain with on-field agents.

We need to attract workers to our platform, and that is why we are planning initiatives in worker-concentrated areas. And we are already collecting basic data from interested workers. Till now, we have collected the data of some 170+ workers, and we plan to use it as we continue to tweak our project. We are also looking for a potential hub of operations, which can serve as our training centers

Although we haven't engaged in serious negotiations and discussions with companies yet, we did reach out regarding our product and whether they would use it. Knowing their demands better, and what they expect from us, we have tweaked our project as best as we could and have received positive responses from said companies 

It’s imperative that we maintain a strong offline and online presence at the same time, and we are incessantly working to make sure that happens accordingly. 

The technology behind our idea is rather simple, but a crucial part nonetheless. We are going to develop an intuitive app and website for workers and companies. The app will more or less be the main medium through which we expect workers to register. Other than registration, the app will have information about our project, and the ongoing contracts our workers are currently working on, with success stories and such. Companies can place initial offerings via app or website, and from then the main paper work would start. We are also working to develop the system via which workers can register by SMS. This makes our project more accessible. 

Every worker under our platform would have an E-Wallet of their own, giving them much more financial freedom. Their wages would directly get deposited here, and workers can withdraw funds whenever they want from us. 

Every project site will have Biometric Fingerprint machines, which we will provide to the companies. This is to ensure worker presence and efficiency, and this data will directly go to our cloud servers, based on which a worker’s performance will be evaluated. 

Our goal with numbers initially is not overly ambitious. We would rather train and work properly with a batch of 500 workers than work with 10000 workers without providing proper training and support. That is why, we value quality over quantity. To give a general estimate about the numbers we are going to work with, we estimate the average number of workers for each contract would be about 300-500. Although this depends from project to project and really what the employer wants. At a time, we plan to serve multiple contracts. One of the criteria via which we will judge and take contracts is the length of it, and since the ones we are going to accept more are going to be longer-term contracts, we can have the freedom to focus on multiple contracts at the same time 

Initially, we plan to acquire and train 1000 workers in our first 5-6 months after launching, and we expect to negotiate our first contracts by that time as well. We expect the growth to be slower initially, but increasing exponentially due to Word-of-mouth and marketing. By the end of our 2nd year, we plan to provide at least 10000 workers employment

Workers in our world don’t have one of the most fundamentally crucial things in their life: stability. And we aim to provide stability to these workers. From where we hail, workers’ don’t have the stability like workers in developed countries. These workers have to live from one day’s wage to the next. And as we mentioned earlier, if they were to miss a day’s work, they are bound to starve that day. No human should have to live in these circumstance, and that’s why we want to have an impact here

 We are creating a stable and safe environment for workers to work in, and in a way we are creating a movement via which worker’s become aware of rights and benefits they are entitled to. If we look at this from the companies point of view, Companies have been in a need for skilled workers as well, and the lack of trained manpower has been leading companies away from certain areas, where industry could have thrived. By training workers, and connecting them with companies, we are increasing productivity per worker as well. So, all these existing problems really need one solution to tie everything up, and that’s where Blue Collar thrives. We ensure that both parties, the workers and the companies are benefited due to our platform, and we are able to ensure a fairer working environment for workers

• Child Labour: With Undocumented labor, flourishes Child labor as well, and that is where we will have an impact. Undocumented labor makes way for underage workers to be exploited under flourishing businesses. And they can avoid government restrictions as undocumented labor is an established norm here and so is child labor

• Gender wage gap: There is a severe wage gap between male and female workers, and we understand to take a step towards reducing gender discrimination, we need to ensure fair and equal wages. For third-world countries, the wage gap and even security concerns for the woman workers are not considered. Blue Collar would maintain fair wages, proper job stations depending on the work and region to ensure women don't fall behind.

• Racial and Caste Discrimination: Individuals from certain backgrounds receive fewer benefits. The history of racial segregation is to blame for this. Under BlueCollar, workers irrespective of their backgrounds can come together to work in a safe and equitable environment 

Inequality: Wealth inequality is starkly apparent in our world, and in our sphere, this takes place in the form of wealthy contractors and deprived workers. In our project, we are going to make sure that the wages that we negotiate are fair for the workers. We are going to be fully transparent about our accounts and will make sure that workers are able to improve their standard of living.

Our main barrier seems to be the already existing worker unions, with deep roots within our societal structure. These unions have materialized slowly and still grasp to their archaic and old ideologies. Under these unions, a worker scarcely has any say and is exploited even more. Since these unions hold tremendous local power, few dare to defy them. And this becomes a problem for us, since we need workers to be aware of their rights and choose for themselves. Worker violence and union clashes are common instances as well, and so the sector remains quite heated. And this is exactly, why workers need a fair platform under which they can thrive. We acknowledge, the acquisition of workers initially will be tough. But with incentives as of higher wages, safer working environment,benefits, free training , community and most importantly stability we believe we can achieve our goal, going beyond the barriers we face

Our initial team at Blue collar consists of 5 dedicated members, although for Solve two of us will be representing on behalf of Blue Collar. We value passion and commitment above everything, and that is why we only take those who are really passionate about this problem plaguing our society. Furthermore, we also make sure each person on the team has a specific string of skillsets, and that they bring an entire persona to the table. We want dreamers and realists alike, and there is to alternative to hard work.

For solve, two of our teammates will be participating. Abrar Azim Hrittek and Sabit Ibtisam Anan. Both of us have a great experience with social ventures and are eager to implement pragmatic changes to a struggling system.Prior track record with case competitions further solidify the specific skill sets that would help us take on such a big challenge. And both of us have seen first hand how badly workers are forced to lead their lives, and how uncertain their lifestyle is. Talking with them really influenced us, and it helped us see the world from a different point of view. We are aware there is a long road to go but our ability to point out inherent inequalities creating a blueprint gives us insight that the team is more willing to fix this given proper help

Currently, we aren't working with any other organization.

Our venture aims to increase and improve Economic opportunities for socially marginalized workers. With our venture, workers can work in a safe and sustainable environment without having the need to worry about their unstable livelihood. We give these workers the much-needed stability they need in their life, and coming under our platform, they get that amnesty. Workers can not only work in a safe environment, but these workers get fair wages and benefits as well. By giving the workers a platform, we increase financial opportunities for them and that is why we believe we are qualified for this

If we were to get the Pozen prize, we would definitely start moving our TRL and growth stages. After finalizing our prototype, we would use the resources we get via winning the Pozen Prize to implement the next stage of our growth plan and start pilot testing