Bottom, second from left: Badri Gulur, SAAS Senior Lead Auditor, and Meghan Quinlan, Fair Trade USA Director of Certification Programs, stands with workshop participants after a full-day of training in Mumbai for SAAS-accredited certification bodies.

On December 2, 2010 in Mumbai, India, SAAS Senior Lead Auditor Badri Gulur led a customized auditor training workshop on the SA8000™ standard and Fair Trade USA Obligations of Cut-Make-Trim Facilities. This training was the next step of SAAS and Fair Trade USA's (formerly TransFair USA) pilot project to develop a joint audit program to enable garment producers to achieve SA8000™ and Fair Trade certifications through a streamlined audit program.

The workshop was attended by eleven participants representing six SAAS-accredited certification bodies- TUV SUD, ALGI, TUV Nord, Bureau Veritas, BSI, and RINA. Meghan Quinlan, Fair Trade USA Director of Certification Programs,  presented the Fair Trade Apparel program to participants.  

SAI and Fair Trade USA designed the workshop to prepare auditors to conduct joint SA8000™-Fair Trade audits of garment facilities, presenting the intersections of the elements of each standard and its certification requirements. The workshop was divided into four sessions: 1) SA8000™ and Fair Trade elements and complementarities; 2) Auditor Competencies for SA8000™ and Fair Trade standards; 3) The Audit Process; and 4) Oversight Systems.

Joint SA8000™-Fair Trade audits aim to avoid audit redundancy, increase market access for certified companies and strengthen assurances of labor and socio-economic rights of workers of the dual-certified facility. A garment facility that achieves SA8000™ and Fair Trade certifications through a joint audit process increases its market opportunities with brands that demand audits to Fair Trade, SA8000™ and/or the BSCI code, while avoiding duplicative audits. Achieving both certifications strengthens both workers' capacity to exercise their labor rights and also their socio-economic opportunities from the Fair Trade premium.  

So far, this SAAS-SAI-Fair Trade USA initiative has conducted two pilot joint audits.  Following this auditor workshop and additional pilot audits, the parties will next develop guidance for joint audit guidance. The initiative has begun with SA8000™-certified facilities that supply or can access U.S. markets, where the Fair Trade Certified garments are being piloted by select supporting brands and retailers. Building on SA8000™ in garment factories, Fair Trade Certified garments represent the first product that carries consumer assurance of labor, socio-economic and environmental standards from the cotton fields through the cut-make-trim facilities.

For more information, contact RZaid@saasaccreditation.org
Click here to read the initial article on this pilot project, from SAI's April 2010 newsletter

On November 20, 2010 in Barahona, Dominican Republic, Elena Arengo (SAI's Director of Latin American Programs) met with 15 independent colonos (sugarcane producers) affiliated with the Asociaci�n de Colonos de Consuela (a regional federation of 500 colonos)-- to discuss their experiences in sugarcane production since working with SAI's Project Cultivar.

The sugarcane producers stated that one of the ways that Project Cultivar has strengthened their position in the local industry is through facilitation of their participation in mesas de di�logo, roundtable dialogues, hosted by the Dominican Ministry of Labor.  At these bi-monthly roundtables, colonos sit with corporations and government officials to discuss ways to address the industry's lack of compliance with international labor standards. This is an industry where 95% of the labor force consists of undocumented migrant workers from Haiti.  The lack of regulation specific to the agricultural sectors allows violations of civil liberties of the Haitian workers who are denied social protections such as social security due to their illegal status.

Maximo Mercedes, Member of the Board of Directors of Colonos de Consuelo, stated, "We have to address this in the roundtable meetings.  That is what Project Cultivar gives us...with this project, we place the issue in the hands of those responsible for resolving it- the state."  

Colonos today face great challenges as the harvesting of sugarcane has not been a profitable lately.  During the discussion, the colonos attributed their hardships to the recent collapse in the global sugar market, where prices plummeted from $700 per ton in 2009 to $500 in recent months. A common sentiment agreed upon by all the colonos at the meeting was, "those of us who continue in sugarcane, do it because we are not ashamed, we do it out of respect for our parents."

Meanwhile, the cost of production for suppliers of sugarcane has not fallen.  Based on the market price of sugar, colonos customarily receive an advance from local sugar manufactures such as Grupo Vicchini and Central Romana, who ultimately purchase their raw product.  However, these funds often fall short of covering the cost of harvesting and production costs. Given such shortfalls, it can be difficult if not impossible to implement to the necessary management systems required for occupational health and safety policies such as the provision of personal protective equipment or preventive medical examinations.  

During the discussion, some colonos noted, "Project Cultivar helps us to organize ourselves in a manner that will allow us to do give our employees the assistance that they should be receiving."

"Project Cultivar has sparked an attitude of change," remarked one colono, "things have to be done within the law.  That is why they are going to search for a legal framework that protects them [Haitian workers in the sector]."

Under Project Cultivar, the colonos learned about the benefits of strong labor legislation, and are looking for models from other industries, such as the Dominican construction industry, which has legislation regarding the provision of social security to immigrant workers.  The colonos have since formed a committee to further investigate the laws governing the construction industry and plan to raise the issue at the next mesa de di�logo on December 16.

Since its inception in 2008, Project Cultivar has worked to raise awareness about the rights and responsibilities of all stakeholders in the sugar and banana industries in the Dominican Republic.  Providing manager-worker trainings on health and safety policy and multi-stakeholder dialogue through local partners Centro de Investigaci�n y Apoyo Cultural (CIAC) and Instituto para la Cultura y la Autogesti�n Popular de la Regi�n Noroeste, Inc. (INCAP) Project Cultivar has established working relationships with 15 sugarcane producers and 15 banana growers and trained over 1,010 workers, 125 managers, and 110 representatives from government and civil society in the Dominican Republic.

For more information, contact SAI Program Associate, Eliza Wright- EWright@sa-intl.org.

Simona Apostol from Floyd, the hosting organization for SAI's SA8000 Awareness Seminar in Bucharest, Romania on November 11-12, 2010.

November 30- CIPE Publishes Abridged Article on Spring 2010 Joint Case Study  A new article in the CIPE online information site summarizes, "From Principles to Practice: The Role of SA8000 in Implementing the UN Global Compact"- released at the UNGC Leaders Summit 2010. This joint case study between CIPE, SAI and the UNGC featured six case studies of companies from around the world that use SA8000™ as a tool to meet their UNGC commitments.

November 11-12- SA8000™ Awareness Seminar in Bucharest, Romania, was co-hosted by Floyd and SAI with 20 participants in attendance from a host of different organizations and consulting firms throughout Romania.

December 2010- Draft Guiding Principles for Business & Human Rights- Open for Consultation until January 31, 2011 The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Business and Human Rights, Professor John Ruggie, posted the draft "Guiding Principles for the Implementation of the UN 'Protect, Respect and Remedy' Framework" to an online consultation forum.