This page presents all relevant good practice case studies that showcase how business have addressed the Freedom of association dilemma. Case studies have been developed in close collaboration with a range of multi-national companies and relevant government, inter-governmental and civil society stakeholders. We also draw on public domain sources, including the UN Global Compact's own published Communications on Progress through which signatories are required to report on their performance against the Ten Principles.
The case studies explore the specific dilemmas and challenges faced by each organisation, good practice actions they have taken to resolve them and the results of such action. We reference challenges as well as achievements and invite you to submit commentary and suggestions through the Forum.
IN-DEPTH (Print seperately) HP: Addressing grievances in the workplace
IN-DEPTH (Print seperately) Chiquita Brands International: Trade union framework agreement
IN-DEPTH (Print seperately) Adidas-Salomon: Union representation issues *
IN-DEPTH (Print seperately) Mod-Style: Worker representation issues *
Project Cultivar: Training and social dialogue for stakeholders - Central America
The CULTIVAR project seeks to improve working conditions in the agricultural sector in Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. With funding from the US Department of Labour, Social Accountability International has developed the CULTIVAR project, a four year multi-stakeholder project to build social dialogue and to strengthen the capacity of labour ministries. With PASE, a Nicaraguan NGO, CULTIVAR has held workshops for trade union leaders in Nicaragua. Thirty-one managers have been trained in Nicaragua, representing all of the banana farms in the country.
Fair Labour Association: establishing a Third Party Complaint Procedure - Global
The Fair Labour Association (FLA) has established a Third Party Complaint Procedure to serve as a channel through which any individual or organisation can confidentially report a serious labour violation with regard to the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct or Principles of Monitoring at any factory affiliated to the FLA. This includes breaches of the right of employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Members of the FLA include: Nike, Umbro, H&M, and Adidas, among others.
Ethical Trading Initiative: seeking resolutions to conflicts - Cambodia
In November 2005 the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) was alerted to allegations of serious interference in union rights in a Cambodian factory. In response, the organisation brought member companies sourcing from the Fortune Garments factory to meet with workers, intermediary suppliers, factory management and International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) representatives, in order to seek a solution to the conflict. After negotiations, in May 2006 an agreement was reached by all parties resulting in: payment of compensation to unfairly dismissed workers; entry of the Coalition of Cambodian Democratic Apparel Workers’ Union into the factory; and acceptance of trade union demands over pay and conditions.
Nike et al: Working group with trade unions to promote trade unionism – Global
Play it Fair reported in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics that sporting apparel companies including Nike, Adidas, New Balance, Umbro and Speedo had formed a joint working group with trade unions and NGOs to explore, amongst other issues, how to promote trade unionism and collective bargaining across the sector.
G4S: Agreement with UNI Property Services to ensure rights of workers – Global
In 2008, G4S, one of the world’s largest international security firms, signed a global agreement with UNI Property Services, a global union, to ensure that all of G4S’s 570,000 employees (spread across more than 110 countries) have the right to organise in a free and fair atmosphere. This is in addition to complying with international standards and national law in its relations with workers.
Gap Inc.: Training internal monitors on freedom of association – Global
In 2006 Gap Inc. partnered with the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF), the global union federation for the apparel and textiles sector, to train its internal monitoring team on freedom of association and collective bargaining issues. In the same year, the ITGLWF provided Gap Inc. with a detailed briefing. Gap Inc. supplemented this training by holding workshops on the Indian subcontinent and in south east Asia with the ITGLWF and local trade union representatives. These workshops aimed to strengthen engagement between Gap Inc.’s Vendor Compliance Officers (responsible for inspecting factories and documenting violations) and key worker rights representatives at regional and local levels.
GE: Expanding supplier due diligence to include freedom of association – Global
In 2008, General Electric (GE) expanded its supplier due diligence programme to cover freedom of association, discrimination and harassment/retaliation. To do this it engaged in benchmarking activities with other companies to determine how they monitored and audited their suppliers in relation to the ILO principles. In addition, it reviewed its on-site assessment tools and guidance materials and developed new training materials. As a result, over 150 suppliers were asked to change their policies with respect to freedom of association. In addition, around 400 suppliers were asked to adopt an employee dispute resolution process.
* Taken from: UN Global Compact et al, Human Rights Translated: A Business Reference Guide
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Maplecroft in partnership with the United Nations Global Compact
