2. FLAWorkplace Code of Conduct
• The FLA Workplace Code of Conduct defines labor standards that aim to
achieve decent and humane working conditions.The Code’s standards are
based on International Labor Organization standards and internationally
accepted good labor practices.
• Employment Relationship
Employers shall adopt and adhere to rules and conditions of employment that
respect workers and, at a minimum, safeguard their rights under national and
international labor and social security laws and regulations.
• Nondiscrimination
No person shall be subject to any discrimination in employment, including hiring,
compensation, advancement, discipline, termination or retirement, on the
basis of gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, nationality,
political opinion, social group or ethnic origin.
• Harassment or Abuse
Every employee shall be treated with respect and dignity. No employee shall be
subject to any physical, sexual, psychological or verbal harassment or abuse.
3. • Child Labor
No person shall be employed under the age of 15 or under the age for
completion of compulsory education, whichever is higher.
• Health, Safety and Environment
Employers shall provide a safe and healthy workplace setting to prevent
accidents and injury to health arising out of, linked with, or occurring in
the course of work or as a result of the operation of employers’
facilities. Employers shall adopt responsible measures to mitigate
negative impacts that the workplace has on the environment.
• Hours of Work
Employers shall not require workers to work more than the regular and
overtime hours allowed by the law of the country where the workers
are employed.The regular work week shall not exceed 48 hours.
Employers shall allow workers at least 24 consecutive hours of rest in
every seven-day period. All overtime work shall be consensual.
Employers shall not request overtime on a regular basis and shall
compensate all overtime work at a premium rate. Other than in
exceptional circumstances, the sum of regular and overtime hours in a
week shall not exceed 60 hours.
4. • Compensation
Every worker has a right to compensation for a regular work week that is sufficient to
meet the worker’s basic needs and provide some discretionary income. Employers
shall pay at least the minimum wage or the appropriate prevailing wage,
whichever is higher, comply with all legal requirements on wages, and provide any
fringe benefits required by law or contract.Where compensation does not meet
workers’ basic needs and provide some discretionary income, each employer shall
work with the FLA to take appropriate actions that seek to progressively realize a
level of compensation that does.
• Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
Employers shall recognize and respect the right of employees to freedom of
association and collective bargaining.
• Forced Labor
There shall be no use of forced labor, including prison labor, indentured labor, bonded
labor or other forms of forced labor.
5. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CSR AND
COMPLIANCE
• Don’t we expect companies to follow the rules?Whether a regulation has environmental
benefits or not, obeying laws is just basic citizenship. We don’t commend people for
stopping at red lights, for instance.To be truly socially responsible, companies go above and
beyond.
• Corporate social responsibility falls under two categories: external and internal.
• External activities involve donating to and working with organizations that “do good”—for
example, having employees dedicate company time to volunteering at a non-profit.
• Internal activities involve the company’s actual processes and devising ways to make them
more environmentally and socially conscientious
• For instance, the fabric manufacturer Designtex just switched all of their lighting to highly
efficient LED bulbs. Such changes aren’t regulated or required; these companies go beyond
mere compliance because there is value in “doing things that matter.”That, in my mind, is
true corporate responsibility.
6.
7. CSR EXAMPLE
• For example, Netflix offers their employees 52 weeks of paid
parental leave, which applies to both parents.Within that time,
employees have the option of going back to work and then
resuming their paid leave as it suits them. No matter how they
choose to take their leave of absence, they receive their full
salary for the entirety of its duration. Netflix also offers
unlimited vacation time to their workers, as does LinkedIn.
• Spotify’s benefits include 24 weeks of paid leave for both
moms and dads, which can be divvied up however they choose
over the three years following a child’s birth.
8.
9. COMPLIANCE EXAMPLE
MinimumWages Act, 1948
• Section 12 of the minimum wages, says that the contractor is liable
to pay minimum wages to its workers who are employed as
scheduled workers. Section 14 says that the wages will be doubled if
a worker is doing over time.The wages per hour will be doubled
during overtime.
Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)Act, 1986
• Hiring children below the age of 14 years for any kind of work, other
than in certain family-based work, is a cognizable offence
