Corporate responsibility

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We respect the human rights of our people and the communities in which we work.

Human rights

We published our human rights policy in 2010. It is inspired by the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Core Conventions of the International Labour Organisation, and the UN Global Compact. It was developed in collaboration with non-governmental organisations, investors, and academic experts with experience in business and human rights.

Policy

Our human rights policy sits alongside our code of business conduct and other specific policies in areas like health and safety, environment, and anti-corruption, as well as our more recently launched policy on the use of force, arms and firearms by our security personnel. After the human rights policy was launched in 2010 we ran a year-long communications programme to raise awareness internally about human rights issues and trained our employees about what human rights means for them. All our employees receive a copy of the policy, which is translated into 19 languages, and everyone has access to a human rights guidance manual.

Employee rights

As part of our commitment to human rights we promote freedom of association, decent working conditions and fair wages, and oppose child and forced labour, unlawful discrimination, harassment and violence. We carry out regular assessments of our operations and supply chain with the aim to prevent any instances of these abuses. Any report of child labour will be investigated and acted upon immediately in a way that safeguards the best interests of the child.

Community rights

We do everything we can to avoid involuntary resettlements, and where this does prove to be unavoidable we always aim to adhere to international standards and comply with the national or relevant regional authorities’ guidelines on resettlement and compensation. In practice this means consulting those affected and devising an approach that will best benefit those affected, and offer them a better quality of life as a result.

Use of security

We have a policy that sets clear parameters for the circumstances in which our security personnel can use force, arms or firearms, which always is embedded within the local legal and constitutional context. This forms part of our security standards and procedures, which is derived from international standards and principles such as the Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights and the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials. Where local conditions require the use of public or private security forces, we expect our security officers to act in a manner that respects human rights at all times as well as applicable national, state and local laws on use of force, arms and firearms. Where necessary, we also engage with public law enforcement forces to raise awareness on our principles with regards to security and human rights.

Grievance mechanisms

We have a number of confidential mechanisms which employees or external stakeholders can use to report concerns about possible human rights violations. Our employees are invited to raise their concerns through their employee representative, their trade union, or directly via whistleblowing facilities. Serious breaches of the human rights policy are considered to be cases of gross misconduct, and if substantiated will lead to dismissal of the relevant person as well as reported to the relevant authorities.

Our approach to human rights continues to evolve, and we’re also working to raise standards throughout our industry by sharing our experiences with other organisations, including our customers. We have presented at the UN Global Compact and at various business and human rights conferences on this issue. In 2011 and 2012, we have been co-leaders of the CSR Europe business and human rights working group.

This web-page was part of Deloitte's CR report assurance scope. View Deloitte LLPs assurance statement.