Code of Conduct – Business Partners

Flokk aims to continuously improve policy and practice that supports Business Partners in complying with this code of conduct.

Principles

Flokk’s Business Partners are to supply services that are in compliance with this code of conduct. Moreover, the Business Partners are to communicate the code of conduct to those of their partners who take part in Flokk’s value chain, and to monitor implementation. A Business Partner must be able to document compliance with the code of conduct at Flokk’s request. Such documentation may take the form of self-declaration, follow-up meetings, and/or inspections of the working conditions at their sites. The Business Partners will be obliged to name and provide contact information for any partners that Flokk wishes to inspect. In the event of a breach of the code of conduct, Flokk and the Business Partner will jointly prepare a plan for remedying the breach. Remediation must take place within a reasonable period of time. The contract will only be terminated if the Business Partner remains unwilling to remedy the breach following repeated enquiries.

Requirements to Business Partners in Flokk’s Value Chain

Flokk’s Ethical Trade Principles are founded on key UN and International Labour Organisation conventions and documents. National laws shall be respected, and where the provisions of law and IEH’s ethical trade principles address the same subject, the most stringent shall apply.

1. Forced and compulsory labour (ILO Conventions Nos. 29 and 105)

2. Freedom of Association and the Right to Collective Bargaining (ILO Conventions Nos. 87, 98, 135 and 154)

3. Child Labour (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO Conventions Nos. 138, 182 and 79, and ILO Recommendation No. 146)

4. Discrimination (ILO Conventions Nos. 100 and 111 and the UN Convention on Discrimination Against Women)

4.1 There shall be no discrimination at the workplace in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on ethnic background, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.

4.2 Measures shall be established to protect workers from sexually intrusive, threatening, insulting or exploitative behaviour, and from discrimination or termination of employment on unjustifiable grounds, e.g. marriage, pregnancy, parenthood or HIV status.

5. Harsh or Inhumane Treatment

5.1 Physical abuse or punishment, or threats of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse, as well as other forms of intimidation, is prohibited.

6. Health and Safety (ILO Convention No. 155 and ILO Recommendation No. 164)

7. Wages (ILO Convention No. 131)

7.1 Wages and benefits paid for a standard working week shall as minimum meet national legal standards or industry benchmark standards, whichever is higher. Wages should always be enough to meet basic needs, including some discretionary income.

7.2 All workers shall be provided with a written and comprehensible contract outlining their wage conditions and method of payments before entering employment.

7.3 Deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure shall not be permitted.

8. Working Hours (ILO Convention No. 1 and 14)

8.1 Working hours shall comply with national laws and benchmark industry standards, and not more than prevailing international standards. Weekly working hours should not on a regular basis be more than 48 hours.

8.2 Workers shall be provided with at least one day off for very 7 day period

8.3 Overtime shall be limited and voluntary. Recommended maximum overtime is 12 hours per week, i.e. that the total working week including overtime shall not exceed 60 hours. Exceptions to this are accepted when regulated by a collective bargaining agreement.

8.4 Workers shall always receive overtime pay for all hours worked over and above the normal working hours (see 8.1 above), minimum in accordance with relevant legislation.

9. Regular Employment

9.1 Obligations to employees under international conventions, national law and regulations concerning regular employment shall not be avoided through the use of short term contracting (such as contract labour, casual labour or day labour), sub-contractors or other labour relationships.

9.2 All workers are entitled to a contract of employment in a language they understand.

9.3 The duration and content of apprenticeship programmes shall be clearly defined.

10. Marginalised Population

10.1 Production and the use of natural resources shall not contribute to the destruction and/or degradation of the resources and income base for marginalised populations, such as in claiming large land areas, use of water or other natural resources on which these populations are dependent.

11. Environment

11.1 Measures to minimise adverse impacts on human health and the environment shall be taken throughout the value chain. This includes minimising pollution, promoting an efficient and sustainable use of resources, including energy and water, and minimising greenhouse gas emissions in production and transport. The local environment at the production site shall not be exploited or degraded.

11.2 National and international environmental legislation and regulations shall be respected and relevant discharge permits obtained.

12. Corruption

12.1 Corruption in any form is not accepted, including bribery, extortion, kickbacks and improper private or professional benefits to customers, agents, contractors, suppliers or employees of any such party or government officials.

13. Management systems of suppliers

The management system is key to the implementation of the code of conduct. Flokk emphasises the importance of Business Partners having systems that support such implementation. Flokk’s expectations in this regard are summed up in the following measures:
The Business Partner should make a centrally placed employee responsible for the implementation of the code of conduct in the partner’s business. The Business Partner must make the code of conduct known in all relevant parts of its organisation.