Saturday 9 April 2011

Zara's Code Of Conduct

As mentioned before, Zara is a brand bought by Inditex, therefore it's code of conduct is created by Inditex and is applied to its other brands as well.

Internal Code of Conduct

Employees
Inditex does not employ anyone who is below the legal age.
No-one who is employed at Inditex is discriminated against because of their race, physical disability, religion, age, nationality or sex.
The employees of Inditex have their right recognised to associate or organise themselves or to bargain collectively.
At Inditex no form of physical, sexual, psychological or verbal harassment or abuse is permitted.
The salary received by Inditex employees is in accordance with the function performed, always respecting the pacts of each sector.
Inditex guarantees that its employees perform their work in safe and healthy workplaces.
Business partners
Inditex makes sure that each and every one of its business partners fulfils the contents of the paragraphs of this Code on customers and employees.
Suppliers
The External Manufacturers and Workshops of Inditex are bound to comply with the contents of the employees and customers paragraphs of this Code. Likewise, they permit any monitoring by Inditex, or authorised third parties, to verify their compliance.
Customers
Inditex undertakes to offer to all its customers a standard of excellence in all its products; at the same time, it guarantees that its products do not entail a risk to their health or safety.
Society
Inditex undertakes to collaborate with the local, national and international communities in which it operates. To guarantee adequate introduction and subsequent mamagement of the Code of Conduct in the chain of production.

Inditex code of conduct for external manufacturers and suppliers

Introduction.
After the incorporation by Inditex of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) in 2005, Inditex undertook to incorporate its Base Code to the Code of Conduct for External Manufacturers and Workshops. For this purpose, the Board of Directors of Inditex modifi ed the above-mentioned Code in July 2007.
The regulatory framework on which the new Code is articulated is made up of:
  • The agreements of the ILO.
  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.
  • The Principles of the Global Compact of the United Nations.
  • The Directives of the OECD for multinational companies.
  • The Base Code of ETI.
  • The locally applicable employment legislation.
  • The local legislation in environmental matters and, in the absence thereof, the international legislation that is in force.
This new Code is expressed in eleven points:
No forced labour.
Inditex shall not allow any form of forced or involuntary labour in the production centres and/or facilities of its external manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors may not require their employees to make any kind of “deposits”, nor are they entitled to retain their identity papers.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall acknowledge the right of their employees to leave their employer after reasonable notice.
No child labour.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall not employ minors. Inditex defines minors as those persons under the age of 16.In the event that local legislation would provide a higher age limit, the company shall respect the local provision.
Persons under 18 shall not be employed in night shifts or in hazardous conditions pursuant to the definition thereof provided under Recommendation 190 of the International Labour Organization.
Where the existence of any form of child labour is detected in the production centres and/or facilities of external manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors, protocols designed for the suppression thereof must be applied, and educational programmes ensuring the suppression of any form of exclusion of minors until they attain the minimum labour age required must be developed.
No discrimination.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall not apply any type of discriminatory practice as regards the recruitment, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination of the employment agreement or retirement, based on race, caste, creed, nationality, religion, age, physical or mental disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and/or union membership or political affiliation.
Respect for freedom of association and collective bargaining.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall ensure that their employees, without distinction, have the right of association, union membership and collective bargaining. No retaliation may arise from the exercise of such right and no remuneration or payment whatsoever may be offered to the employees in order to hinder the exercise of such right.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall adopt an open and collaborative attitude towards the activities of Trade Unions.
Workers´ representatives shall be protected from discrimination and shall be free to carry out their representative functions in their workplace.
Where the Rights to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining are restricted under Law, the appropriate channels to ensure a reasonable and independent exercise of such rights must be designed.
No harsh or inhumane treatment.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall treat their employees with dignity and respect. Under no circumstances shall physical punishment, sexual or racial harassment, verbal or power abuse or any other form of harassment or intimidation be permitted.
Safe and hygienic working conditions.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall provide a safe and healthy workplace to their employees, ensuring minimum conditions of light, ventilation, hygiene, fire prevention, safety measures, and access to a drinking water supply.
Workers shall have access to clean toilets facilities and drinking water. Where necessary, facilities for food storage shall be provided.
Accommodation, where provided, shall be clean and safe.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall take the required steps to prevent accidents and injuries to health of their workers, by minimizing as much as possible, the risks inherent to work.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall provide their workers with regular training in the matter of health and safety at work. The company shall keep an appropriate record of the training courses done.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall appoint a person in charge of health and safety within the Management, duly authorised and with the appropriate decision taking power.
Wages are paid.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall ensure that wages paid for a standard working week shall meet at least the minimum legal or collective bargain agreement, whichever is higher. In any event, wages should always be enough to meet at least the basic needs of workers and their families and any other which might be considered as reasonable additional needs.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall not proceed to any withholdings and/or deductions from wages for disciplinary purposes, nor for any reasons other than those provided in the applicable regulations, without the express authorisation of workers.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall provide all workers with: written and understandable information about their wages conditions upon their recruitment, and information about the particulars of their wages every time that these are paid.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall also ensure that wages and any other allowances or benefits are paid on time and rendered in full compliance with all applicable laws and specifically, that payments are made in the manner that best suits the workers.
Working hours are not excessive.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall adjust the length of the working day to the provisions of the applicable laws or of the collective bargain agreement for the sector in question, should this latter afford greater protection for the workers.
At no event shall external manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors require their employees to work, as a rule of thumb, in excess of 48 hours a week and workers shall be granted at least one day off for every 7 calendar day period on average.
Overtime shall be voluntary, shall not exceed 12 hours per week, shall not be demanded on a regular basis and shall always be compensated at a premium rate, pursuant to the provisions of the prevailing regulations in force.
Environmental awareness.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall be duly committed at all times to protect the environment and shall comply, at least, with the standards and requirements of the applicable Local and International Laws and Regulations.
Regular employment.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors undertake that all the employment formulas they use are part of the ordinary labour practice and the applicable local laws.
External manufacturers, suppliers and their subcontractors shall not impair the rights of workers acknowledged under the labour and social security laws and regulations by using schemes of: subcontracting, homeworking, training and apprenticeship contracts or any other like formula which prevents promotion of regular employment in the framework or regular employment relationships.

1 comment:

  1. I would like to reference some of this work. could i get a name for the blogger please?

    ReplyDelete