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SA 8000 Consultants In Pune India
SA 8000 - Social
Accountability
Social Accountability
International (SAI) is a human rights organization
founded in 1996 that seeks to improve workplaces
and communities around the world by developing
and implementing socially responsible standards.
To fulfill its mission, SAI convenes all key sectors,
including workers and trade unions, companies,
government, non-governmental organizations, socially
responsible investors and consumers, to operate
consensus-based voluntary standards; accredits
qualified organizations to verify compliance;
and, promotes understanding and implementation
of such standards worldwide.
SAI systems feature certification of compliance
at the facility level and support for companies
seeking to implement our standards. SAI leverages
the power of responsible consumers and investors
by identifying companies and other organizations
that adopt and implement our standards
Overview of SA8000, the Global Workplace Standard
SAI's first social accountability system is SA8000,
a tool for retailers, brand companies, suppliers
and other organizations to assure just and decent
working conditions in the supply chain. SA8000
is a leading workplace standard and verification
system because it offers a unique combination
of attributes that make it highly credible and
efficient:
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• A standard that covers all widely-accepted
international labor rights
• Independent, expert verification of compliance
– certification of facility compliance by
independent, SAI-accredited auditing bodies. SAI
accreditation ensures that auditors have the procedures,
resources and expertise needed to conduct independent,
comprehensive, consistent and in-depth audits.
• Factory-level management system requirement
to foster ongoing compliance and realize gains
in productivity, quality and worker recruiting
and retention.
• Involvement by all stakeholders –
participation by all key sectors - workers and
trade unions, companies, socially responsible
investors, nongovernmental organizations and government
- in the SA8000 system including the Advisory
Board, drafting and revision of the standard and
auditing system, conferences, training, and the
complaints system
• Public reporting – SA8000 certified
facilities are posted on the SAI website. Companies
that join the SA8000 Corporate Involvement Program
- Level Two (see below for details) release annual
SAI-verified annual progress.
• Metting consumer, investor and government
concerns – SA8000 Certification and Corporate
Involvement Program help consumers, investors
and government to identify and support companies
assuring labor rights in the supply chain.
Standard Elements
SA8000 is based on international workplace norms
in the ILO conventions and the UN's Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention
on Rights of the Child. The official standard
is at www.sa-intl.org and here is a summary:
1. Child Labor – no workers under the age
of 15; minimum lowered to 14 for countries operating
under the ILO Convention 138 developing-country
exception; remediation of any child found to be
working
2. Forced Labor – no forced labor, including
prison or debt bondage labor; no lodging of deposits
or identity papers by employers or outside recruiters
3. Health and Safety – provide a safe and
healthy work environment; take steps to prevent
injuries; regular health and safety worker training;
system to detect threats to health and safety;
access to bathrooms and potable water
4. Freedom of Association
and Right to Collective Bargaining – respect
the right to form and join trade unions and bargain
collectively; where law prohibits these freedoms,
facilitate parallel means of association and bargaining
5. Discrimination – no discrimination based
on race, caste, origin, religion, disability,
gender, sexual orientation, union or political
affiliation, or age; no sexual harassment
6. Discipline – no corporal punishment,
mental or physical coercion or verbal abuse
7. Working Hours – comply with the applicable
law but, in any event, no more than 48 hours per
week with at least one day off for every seven
day period; voluntary overtime paid at a premium
rate and not to exceed 12 hours per week on a
regular basis; overtime may be mandatory if part
of a collective bargaining agreement
8. Compensation – wages paid for a standard
work week must meet the legal and industry standards
and be sufficient to meet the basic need of workers
and their families; no disciplinary deductions
9. Management Systems – facilities seeking
to gain and maintain certification must go beyond
simple compliance to integrate the standard into
their management systems and practices
Implementation
Options
1. Certification: Companies that operate production
facilities can seek to have individual facilities
certified to SA8000 through audits by one of the
SAI-accredited certification auditing bodies.
Since the SA8000 system became fully operational
in 1998, there are already certified facilities
in 36 countries and across 35 industries.
2. Corporate Involvement Program: Companies that
focus on selling goods or that combine production
and selling can join the SA8000 Corporate Involvement
Program. The CIP is a two-level program that helps
companies evaluate SA8000, implement the standard
in the supply chain, and report publicly on implementation
progress.
SA8000 Explorer (CIP Level One)
• Work with SAI to evaluate SA8000 as an
ethical sourcing tool via pilot audits
SA8000 Signatory (CIP Level Two)
• Implement SA8000 over time in some or
all of the supply chain by promoting and ultimately
requiring SA8000 certification
• Communicate implementation progress via
SAI-verified public reports
Program benefits include training
courses for managers, suppliers and workers, technical
assistance in implementing SA8000, online system
for managing audits and identifying shared suppliers,
and SAI-verified reports to communicate SA8000
implementation progress to stakeholders. The CIP
was launched in late 1999 and has attracted entities
representing more than $100 billion in annual
revenue including Amana SA, Avon Products, Cutter
& Buck, Dole Food, Eileen Fisher, Gap, Otto
Versand, Synergies Worldwide, Tex Line, Timberland,
Toys "R" Us, UNOPS, and Vögele
Mode.
SA 8000 - Benefits
Along with humane workplaces, the implementation
of SA8000 offers more benefits to workers, companies
and others:
Benefits for Workers, Trade Unions and NGOs
• Enhanced opportunities to organize trade
unions and bargain collectively
• A tool to educate workers about core labor
rights
• Another opportunity to work directly with
business on labor rights issues
• Public awareness of companies committed
to assuring humane working conditions
Benefits for Business
• Putting company values into action
• Enhancing company and brand reputation
• Improving employee recruitment, retention
and performance
• Better supply chain management and performance
Benefits for Consumers & Investors
• Clear and credible assurance for ethical
purchasing decisions
• Identification of products made ethically
and companies committed to ethical sourcing
• Broad coverage of product categories and
production geography.
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