|
Social Accountability International (SAI) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established to advance the human rights of workers by promoting decent work conditions, labor rights, and corporate social responsibility through voluntary standards and capacity building.
SAI is headquartered in the United States with field representation in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Philippines, Switzerland, and UAE.
SAI- Human Rights at Work
For newsletter inquiries contact:
SAI Communications Manager
Joleen Ong, jong@sa-intl.org |
|
|
 SAI Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Board Convenes in NYC
Key meeting takeaways from Advisory Board Chair, Achim Lohrie
 | |
SAI Advisory Board convenes in NYC. Clockwise from top left: Edwin Koster, SAI; Eliza Wright, SAI; Steven Oates, SAI; David Zweibel, NCLC; Lorenz Berzau, BSCI; Bob Mitchell, HP; Luca Valli, CISE; Darryl Knudsen, Gap Inc.; Craig Moss, SAI; Syed Atif Ali, TNT; Achim Lohrie, Tchibo GmbH; Alan Spaulding; Tom DeLuca, CCI Consulting; Ivano Corraini, FILCAMS-CGIL; Federico Tani, FILCAMS-CGIL; Helio Mattar, Akatu Institute; Alice Tepper Marlin, SAI; Rochelle Zaid, SAAS; Eileen Kaufman, SAI; Amy Hall, EILEEN FISHER; Joleen Ong, SAI; Carole de Montgolfier, Carrefour; Dorianne Beyer, NCLC.
|
Achim Lohrie, Chair of SAI Board of Advisors:
We made great progress towards organizing the different aspects of SAI's leadership, grounded in over 15 years of building and implementing management systems for socially responsible supply chains. During the meeting, we focused on how to scale up existing programs, as well as how to support SAI's growth.
One of the things we looked at during this Advisory Board meeting was how to raise the level, scope and scale of companies that are participating in the Social Fingerprint® program, which already has incredible buy-in from international retail organizations. This is an impressive tool to implement social responsibility programs because, companies may have good codes and audit systems, but be missing tools for implementing management systems. Management systems are important because they give ownership to those who are key to implementation-- both the retailers and the supplier factories. And because they continue to operate inclusively after the audit snapshots.
We also looked at how we can sustain the future of SAI in light of a difficult economic environment >>Read more
Achim Lohrie is the Chair of the SAI Advisory Board and the Head of Corporate Responsibility at Tchibo GmbH. For inquiries, contact SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong - JOng@sa-intl.org.
Back to top
|
|
SA8000 Basic Needs Wage & Overtime
Q & A with SAI Field Services Director, Doug DeRuisseau
Question: In China, the issue of voluntary overtime- where workers are eager to work overtime to earn more money to send back to their hometowns - can create a challenging cycle for both workers and factory managers. This is the case sometimes even when workers are paid more than the basic needs wage (BNW). To comply with China's strict overtime laws, factory managers could put on extra shifts, hiring more workers. However that means fewer overtime pay opportunities for existing employees, who may then seek other job opportunities. How would you address this predicament?
Doug DeRuisseau: The problem is a familiar one and is driven by the drive to make money to support oneself and one's family. The threshold answer to the question lies in whether or not the worker is making sufficient money to support his/her family in a regular work week, before overtime, regardless of what the BNW calculation is. Most legal minimum wage levels around the world are too low, driven partly by intense globalization and the competition that it creates and also by inadequate social infrastructure, e.g. health care, unemployment insurance, pensions, education. That leads to the common quotation that 'a poor paying job is infinitely better than no job at all.'
Companies can do certain things to manage the overtime problem such as adding shifts, subcontracting, process redesign, etc. But that doesn't address the fundamental problem: wages are too low. Therefore, some companies (and governments, such as Thailand) increase hours to boost take-home pay rather than increase the wages. Thailand increased the weekly allowable overtime hours to 36 for the exact purpose of providing more take-home pay without raising production costs >>Read more
Have a question? Send it to SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong at Jong@sa-intl.org for consideration in the next newsletter.
Back to top
|
|
Tchibo GmbH Upgrades Corporate Membership
Interview with Tchibo's Head of Corporate Responsibility, Achim Lohrie
Achim Lohrie has been the head of Corporate Responsibility at Tchibo GmbH since 2006. Tchibo is a family-owned company. It is one of the largest coffee roasters in Europe, and the leading coffee brand in Germany. In addition to coffee, its also sells non-food items via a multi-channel sales system encompassing branded shops, a dense network of depots at retailers, and a thriving Internet and mail-order trade, uniquely rotating its products every week.
In this interview, Mr. Lohrie talks about why Tchibo GmbH upgraded its Corporate Programs membership to the Signatory level from the Explorer level, as well as how it aligns with Tchibo's "DNA."
Q. Why did you upgrade from the Explorer level to the Signatory level?
A. We upgraded our Corporate Program membership to the Signatory level for various reasons. It's a good opportunity to see what SAI can offer, especially with Social Fingerprint®. The new membership structure provides even more services, such as Social Fingerprint®, classroom training and online training-- it's a good cost-benefit ratio.
Q. Signatory members are able to design a custom project that's tailored to their supply chain needs - what is your vision for Tchibo?
A. Our current supply chain management system integrates social (and environmental) standards. We have a very intensive monitoring system on one hand, and on the other a training system vis-a-vis our WE Project (Worldwide Enhancement of Social Quality). There is a great opportunity to integrate what SAI is offering with the WE Project's qualification program for our suppliers >>Read more
For more information, visit tchibo-sustainability.com. This interview was conducted by SAI Communication Manager Joleen Ong. For inquiries, contact Jong@sa-intl.org.
|
|
Pre-Subscribe Now: Handbook on UN Guiding Principles
SAI & ICCO's Handbook offers a six-step approach to help businesses implement the Principles in their supply chains
SAI and the Netherlands-based Interchurch Organisation for Development Cooperation (ICCO) are pleased to announce that, due to high interest, its joint Handbook and Toolkit is now available for pre-subscription. It is scheduled to be published electronically July 1, 2012 and available for $50. Pre-subscribers will receive a 10% discount. They will also receive a 10% discount on the training workshops that SAI and ICCO will conduct in the fall of 2012. The training workshops will help attendees understand how to utilize the Handbook and address the challenges they face in implementing the Guiding Principles. They workshops will take place in the Netherlands, India and Brazil. Additional locations may be added later.
This Handbook is based on the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, written by UN Special Representative John Ruggie and his team, which were endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in June 2011. It is designed to help companies operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, which include the "Protect, Respect and Remedy" framework. The Handbook was developed in response to the growing need of companies who struggle with transforming the principles into daily practice >>Read more
For inquiries and to pre-subscribe, please contact SAI Europe Representative Edwin Koster (EKoster@sa-intl.org).
Back to top
|
Enroll in Global SA8000 Auditor Training Courses
International Locations & Online Courses Available
 | | Participants at the Advanced SA8000 Auditor Training in Sao Paulo, Brazil - April 23-25, 2012. Photo credit: Adriano Diniz Costa |
Upcoming:
SA8000® Basic Auditor Training
Location: Surabaya, Indonesia
Date: July 16-20
SA8000® Advanced Auditor Training
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Date: July 23-25 SAI training courses are designed to encourage proficiency in social compliance issues and emphasize the implementation of management systems. Learn about a management-system approach to social compliance auditing and supply chain management. These courses are required for all SA8000® and BSCI auditors, and are just as valuable to internal auditors, buyers, managers and workers for auditing to any labor code or standard. The courses are open to all.
|
|
|
|
Highlights & Announcements
 | |
Snapshot from the ISEAL Alliance Conference in Bonn - Martin Ma, SAI Lead Trainer and Solidaridad China Director & Joleen Ong, SAI Communications Manager.
|
SAI Turns 15! May 2012 marks the 15 year anniversary of SAI's establishment to advance the human rights of workers around the world. ISEAL Alliance Conference 2012 On May 29-31, SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong and SAAS Executive Director Rochelle Zaid, attended the conference in Bonn, Germany, which focused on ISEAL's 10 years of impact, and its new government sustainable public procurement program. Learn more @bit.ly/JBwM4w. Back to top |
|
|
|
|
