Guidelines

1. Forced labor / slavery

(ILO Convention Nos. 29 and 105)

1.1. There shall be no form of forced labor, slavery or involuntary work.
1.2. Workers shall not be required to deliver deposit or identity papers to the employer and shall be free to terminate the employment with reasonable notice.

2. Professional organization and collective bargaining

(ILO Convention Nos. 87, 98, 135 and 154)

2.1. Workers must, without exception, have the right to join or establish trade unions at their own request, and to negotiate collectively. The employer must not interfere with, prevent or counter trade union or collective bargaining.
2.2. Trade union representatives should not be discriminated against or prevented from carrying out their trade union work.
2.3. If the right to free organization and / or collective bargaining is limited by law, the employer must facilitate and not prevent alternative mechanisms for free and independent organization and negotiation.

3. Child labor

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

3.1. Minimum age for workers should not be less than 15 years and in line with
i) national minimum age for employment, or;

ii) minimum age for compulsory schooling, with the highest age applicable. If local minimum age is set to 14 years in accordance with the exception in ILO Convention 138, this can be accepted
3.2. Recruitment of child laborers in conflict with the above minimum age shall not take place.
3.3. Children under the age of 18 should not perform work that is detrimental to their health, safety or morals, including night work.
3.4. Action plans shall be established for the early phasing out of child labor that is in violation of ILO conventions 138 and 182. The action plans shall be documented and communicated to relevant staff and other stakeholders. Support schemes should be facilitated where children are given the opportunity to education until the child is no longer in school age.

4. Discrimination

(ILO Convention Nos. 100 and 111 and the UN Women’s Discrimination Convention)

4.1. There shall be no discrimination in respect of employment, remuneration, training, promotion, termination or retirement based on ethnicity, caste, religion, age, disability, gender, civil status, sexual orientation, union work or political affiliation.
4.2. Protection must be established against sexually intrusive, threatening, abusive or exploitative behavior and against discrimination or dismissal on an unacceptable basis, eg marriage, pregnancy, parental status or the status of the HIV infection.

5. Brutal treatment

5.1. Physical abuse or punishment, or threat of physical abuse is prohibited. The same applies to sexual or other abuse and other forms of humiliation.

6. Health, environment and safety

(ILO Convention No. 155 and Recommendation No. 164)

6.1. Efforts shall be made to secure workers a safe and healthy working environment. Hazardous chemicals and other substances must be handled properly. Necessary measures must be taken to prevent and minimize accidents and health injuries as a result of, or related to, workplace conditions.
6.2. Workers must have regular and documented health and safety training. Health and safety training will be repeated for newly recruited and relocated workers.
6.3. Workers must have access to clean sanitary facilities and clean drinking water. If applicable, the employer must also provide access to facilities for safe storage of food.
6.4. If the employer offers accommodation, this must be clean, safe, sufficiently ventilated and with access to clean sanitary facilities and clean drinking water.

7. Salary

(ILO Convention No. 131)

7.1. Salaries of workers for a normal work week must at least be in line with national minimum wage regulations or industry standard, the highest applies. Salaries should always be sufficient to cover basic needs, including some savings.
7.2. Wage conditions and payment of wages shall be agreed in writing before the work commences. The agreement must be understandable to the worker.
7.3. Deductions in salary as a disciplinary reaction are not allowed.

8. Working hours

(ILO Convention Nos. 1 and 14)

8.1. Working hours must be in accordance with national laws or industry standards, and not exceed working hours in accordance with current international conventions. Normal working hours per week should usually not exceed 48 hours.
8.2. Workers must have at least one day off per 7 days.
8.3. Overtime should be limited and voluntary. The recommended maximum overtime is 12 hours per week, ie total working hours of 60 hours per week. Exceptions to this can be accepted if it is regulated by a collective agreement or national law.
8.4. Workers must always have overtime supplements during working hours over normal working hours (see section 8.1 above), minimum in accordance with applicable laws.

9. Regular employment

9.1. Obligations towards workers, in line with international conventions, national laws and regulations on regular employment, should not be circumvented through the use of short-term commitments (such as the use of contract workers, casual workers and day workers), subcontractors or other work relationships.
9.2. All workers are entitled to a contract of employment in a language they understand.
9.3. Apprenticeship programs must be clearly defined in terms of duration and content.

10. Marginalized population groups

10.1. The production and use of natural resources should not contribute to the destruction of resource and income bases for marginalized, for example by seizing large land areas, irresponsible use of water or other natural resources on which the population groups depend.

11. Environment

11.1. Measures to reduce negative effects on health and the environment throughout the value chain shall be implemented through minimizing emissions, promoting efficient and sustainable use of resources, including energy and water and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions in production and transport. The local environment at the production site should not be driven predatory