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April 2013
1. SAI Response: Rana Plaza Building Collapse in Bangladesh
2. Human Rights Training Draws on Past Experiences
3. The UN Guiding Principles in Nicaraguan Agriculture
4. Call for Factories: Brazil Worker Engagement Program
5. SA8000 Standard & Guidance Document Revision
6. Promoting Gender Equity in India's Garment Sector
7. How Companies Can Implement the UN Guiding Principles for Business & Human Rights
8. Spotlight: SA8000 Certified Rug Company Kaleen
9. SA8000 Auditor Training in Lisbon
10. SA8000 Field Auditor Calibration Meeting: Vietnam
11. Highlights & Announcements
Jobs & Internships 

 

India Program Interns

SAI-Bangalore, India

Top 3 News Stories 

 

Training Courses 

-Getting Started in Your Company

-Building Your Internal Social Performance Team  

 

Developing & Implementing Effective Social Performance Management Systems
New York, NY
Date TBD


Brussels, Belgium 
May 29-30 
Sao Paulo, Brazil

June 25-26

Utrecht, The Netherlands
September 23-24
Bangalore, India
Date TBD
 

  SA8000 Fire Safety Webinar  

**Free course ends May 1, 2013 
Auditing for Fire Safety in the SA8000 & BSCI System
[Mandatory for SA8000/BSCI Auditors]
 

 SA8000 Basic Auditor Training

Madrid, Spain
May 20-24
Shanghai, China
May 27-31 Shenzhen, China July 22-26
Shenzhen, China
October 21-25

 SA8000 Advanced Auditor Training 

Guangzhou, China
May 8-10
Madrid, Spain
May 15-17
Bern, Switzerland 
June 10-12
Shanghai, China
June 26-28 

SA8000 Online Training 

SA8000 Online Revision Course
  
NGOs & Trade Unions
Complimentary seats available for NGO & trade union representatives. For more information, email SAI Training Manager Stephanie Wilson at [email protected].
 
 
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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,  [email protected]
topSAI Response: Rana Plaza Building Collapse in Bangladesh
 This tragedy underscores broader infrastructure risks faced by workers everyday

On behalf of the entire SAI team, we express our deep sympathy and sadness about the horrific building collapse at the eight-story Rana Plaza building, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh in Savar. There are reportedly at least 87 dead and over 1,00 injured, with the numbers expected to rise as the debris continues to be cleared. The timing was especially unfortunate, during the morning rush hour.
 
According to news reports, there were five garment factories located on the 2nd- 7th floors, along with a market and bank branch on the ground floor. SAI has contacted Corporate Program members that work in Bangladesh to ask if they were sourcing from any of these factories; so far none have indicated that they were customers.
 
This tragedy presents unimaginable losses for workers and their families, who must depend on these jobs to support their livelihoods. Furthermore, it underscores the broader infrastructure risks that workers around the world face every day in potentially unsafe workplaces.
 
SAI remains committed to external collaboration and engagement with business, government agencies, trade unions and NGOs in the global struggle to ensure human rights and decent working conditions in every workplace. SAI supports the ILO's efforts in Bangladesh to coordinate work and engage with trade unions, civil society organizations, government and the garment industry. For SAI, Bangladesh is a key focus country in the Pillars in Practice Program, in partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DiHR) and the CSR Centre Bangladesh, to build the capacity of local civil society organizations to engage with and train on the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.
 
SAI supports the ILO's efforts in Bangladesh to coordinate and engage with trade unions, civil society organizations, government and the garment industry. We urge the authorities that are conducting these investigations to ensure that the victims and their families are respected, and that where there is culpability, responsibility is taken.

For more information, contact SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong - [email protected].

Human Rights Training Draws on Past Experiences
 Interview with SAI Lead Trainer Sanjiv Singh on his early tea plantation experience and its impact on his work to train for human rights at work 
From left: SAI Lead Trainer Sanjiv Singh leads the SA8000 Basic Auditor Training in New York; snapshot from a tea plantation in West Bengal, India.
Sanjiv Singh is an SAI Lead Trainer and Authorized Representative in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). In late March and early April 2013, Mr. Singh spent two weeks in New York, where he led two training courses - SAI's Basic and Advanced SA8000 auditor training course.

In this interview with SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong, Mr. Singh reflects on his early roots as a tea plantation Manager in Assam, the current labor issues encountered in the Middle East and the value of the training courses to learn the basics of 'human rights at work.'    

Joleen Ong: As a former tea plantation manager in Assam, how do your past experiences shape your current work?
Sanjiv Singh: My time managing tea plantations between 1984-1994 has been particularly useful in my current profession. Working in the tea plantations was more a way of life than just a job. Tea plantations in India were a product of colonialism but things began to change rapidly as India became independent.

Being accountable for the well-being of over 2,500 people brought out a sense of responsibility and awareness; not only to meet their personal needs such as housing, water, medical care, fuel, children's education, wages and social security, but also their emotional needs, which were equally important. Labor unrest, sometimes violent, was common in some plantations that I knew. This was often caused due to lack of communication and poor grievance management. This is particularly an issue logistically, as the tea 'workplace' spans across vast tracts of land, making communication an even bigger challenge.

While training students, I often relate back to some of the challenges I faced in the plantations like - health and safety (chemical safety), freedom of association, child labor, discipline and remuneration and speak of how SA8000 addresses each of these requirements as a part of a management system. I have suggested SA8000 certification to several friends in the tea industry; not only to demonstrate socially accountable practices externally, but more importantly to use it as a tool to build healthy communication channels between management and workers that not only helps productivity but also engages with workers at a deeper level.

I am happy to see that tea plantations in India and Sri Lanka have begun to get certified to the SA8000 standard. With the advent of investigative journalism and easy access to internet, social media and general awareness of worker rights it is more than necessary that industries address labor standards in a more sustainable and permanent way.

JO: As you're currently based in Dubai, what are some of the key challenges faced by workers that you observe there?
SS
: The Middle East has its own set of challenges that relate to migrant workers which constitute a large part of the working population - the UAE is particularly unique in that it has a migrant worker population of above 80%. While employees stand to gain because of the saving potential and better living conditions in the Middle East and Gulf States overall, there are challenges related to retention of personal documents, shadow employment contracts, unscrupulous recruitment agents, the inability for workers to raise concerns, the process for grievance management and worker representation.

While the UAE has taken great strides in addressing these concerns, and labor conditions are far better than before, certain challenges such as a culturally diverse workforce and fast-paced socio economic development still remain. I do see the good intentions by the government to address this. In fact, my company WIRE works with the Federal Government of UAE in building capacity, training Labor Inspectors and guidance and consulting to address the particular challenges that remain.

JO: You led the Basic and Advanced SA8000 auditor training courses in New York - how did it go?  
SS: The groups that attended the basic and advanced courses were quite unlike those that I have taught in the past. The representation was diverse - from NGOs, global brands, certification bodies, consultants and factory owners from the Far East. The participant mix contributed to positive learning in the classes with attendees sharing thoughts and experiences from the field - this added a lot of value to the class.

For example, there was one moment when the concept of gender equity was heatedly being debated, but in a healthy way, among attendees in the classroom. One participant from an east Asian country stated that it would be culturally insensitive to equate women to men at work, and that an auditor would be considered disrespectful, unprofessional and 'crossing the line' if this was questioned. This participants' perspective was an example to others about the cultural challenges that an auditor often faces when working on the field.

JO: There is a growing trend where many of the people that attend aren't actually taking the course to become SA8000 auditors - what do you think is the overall value that people receive from taking the course?
SS: The SA8000 Basic Auditor training course, as the name signifies, is not only meant to teach those who have experience in performing social audits but also people who have an interest in learning more about human rights at the workplace and international labor standards. Besides wanting to obtain professional qualification in performing social audits, participants find the course particularly useful when experiences from the field are shared by the trainer and also by their co participants. This contributes enormously to everyone's learning. The course material provided is also a valuable reference point for all those who attend and should be referred to as often as possible.

JO: What were some of the field experiences that participants shared?
SS: One particular challenge faced by a participant was about how to calculate the living wage in India. This participant also shared from experience the methods of deception that are prevalent in certain parts of the world like double book keeping, coaching workers, parallel sets of time records and incorrect interpretation of national laws. To address this, it is expected that social auditors conduct the necessary research about the workplace to be assessed with local NGOs and other interested stakeholders, obtain information about the industry and be aware of the socio economic concerns in a region or country - this is in addition to the prerequisite knowledge of local laws. This prepares auditors to perform effective audits and ask meaningful questions to both management and workers.

JO: Where are you going next and what will you be doing? 
SS: My next stop is to witness a SA8000 audit at a shoe factory in Agra, India, a short drive from New Delhi. The export-oriented leather industry in this region is large and flourishing. Some of the key challenges faced are contract workers, remuneration (living wages) and health & safety. I am looking forward to my work.

Special thanks to Sanjiv Singh for this interview. For more information, contact Mr. Singh at [email protected] or Ms. Ong at [email protected].

The UN Guiding Principles in Nicaraguan Agriculture
Interview with Yolanda Brenes | 'Pillars in Practice' Project Sustains Progress of Previous Initiatives
From left: Snapshot of workers in a banana packaging facility in Nicaragua; SAI Lead Trainer Yolanda Brenes.
Nicaragua's agricultural sector plays a major role in Nicaragua's economy. Employing an estimated 28% of the population, the sector offers both small-scale and large-scale farmers with the opportunities to enhance their livelihoods through production. However, like in many countries, the agricultural sector poses extraordinary challenges and safety risks for workers - such as the backbreaking physical labor needed to maintain crops, and the high-pressure seasonal demands to manage the harvest. 

  

The Nicaraguan agricultural sector is one of the three focus areas of SAI and the Danish Institute for Human Rights' 'Pillars in Practice' (PIP) Program. This month, SAI will launch its first set of multi-stakeholder round tables to discuss human rights issues in the sector, on April 25 in Chinandega and April 27 in Managua. The PIP Project's local CSO partner in Nicaragua - Profesionales para la Auditoria Social y Entreprenarial (PASE) - will lead this, and is represented by PASE Program Coordinator Alberto Legall L�pez. We interviewed SAI Lead Trainer & Representative in Costa Rica, Yolanda Brenes, to discuss the relevance and context for the upcoming training, and its potential impact for workers. 

  

SAI: You are not only a lead trainer with SAI, but you also were involved with some of SAI's most successful projects in Central America - Project Cultivar, Comply and Win, and USAID's CAFTA-Environmental and Labor Excellence (ELE). How does the (PiP) project link with the learnings from previous projects, as well as carve out its own relevant space? 

 

Yolanda Brenes: In these previous projects, SAI gained insight into the principal challenges faced by local stakeholders [government, companies and trade unions] in complying with national laws designed to protect the human rights of workers. For the Pillars in Practice project, we are returning to the region to further develop our relationships with the same stakeholders, but this time we are involving local civil society organizations as well. Under PIP, our main objective is to raise the awareness and use of the United Nations Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) by all stakeholder groups to promote the respect and protection of human rights, and access to remedy by those whose rights were violated. Because of our previous working relationship with stakeholders, we are able to anticipate and respond to the challenges that stakeholders will encounter with the implementation of the UNGPs. 

  

SAI: During the April trainings in Nicaragua, you will be working with PASE to implement the UNGPs to reach the overall PIP Project goals. In your opinion, why is this relevant? 

YB: I will be training our local partner PASE on the UNGPs. They are based in Managua. Previously, they were our partner for SAI's Project Cultivar. Providing them with the knowledge and tools to replicate the training on the UNGPs to others will contribute to the sustainability of our project's objective. Every country that is a member of the United Nations has the obligation to comply with the UNGPs. PASE will be a source of information that will remain in Nicaragua long after the project ends to spread information on the UNGPs. 

  

SAI: What are some of the key challenges for workers in the agricultural sectors in Nicaragua, specifically in sugarcane and bananas? 

YB: Two great challenges for agricultural workers are - 1) knowing their rights, and 2) being hired indirectly by third-party subcontractors. In agriculture, most workers are hired this way. In sugar cane production, there is no direct link between the employer and the workers who cut sugarcane in the fields. Field workers are employed with short-term contracts. If the subcontractor does not pay a fair wage, this is not seen as the responsibility of the employer. But sugar cane refineries must come to accept that their responsibility does not end with the subcontractor, it extends further down the supply chain to the workers too. Subcontracting is often used as means to avoid the legal responsibility for worker. 

  

The banana sector is different. There has been a very positive evolution in terms of respect of human rights as a result of the pressure from brands and multi-national companies requesting change. It's a similar situation in the coffee sector. There are brands generating pressure for producers to monitor their operations for issues like occupational health & safety (OSH), wages and child labor. PIP will be engaging with stakeholders from all these sectors in addition to the tobacco sector. 

  

SAI: What opportunities do the guiding principles present for workers in those sectors? 

YB: Through the PIP Project, companies and government ministries will gain greater knowledge of their commitments to respect and protect human rights prescribed by the UNGPs. The UN says that they must comply with these duties. So in theory, their fulfillment will result in better conditions for workers and their communities. 

 

SAI: Your roots are in bananas - prior to SAI you worked for Chiquita. How do those experiences relate to the work you do today? 

YB: I consider Chiquita to be my first training ground. There, I developed an understanding of the basic concepts of sustainability and the dynamics between business operations and management. This allowed me to later understand how to implement social management systems within a company. 

 

SAI: Aside from the PIP Project activities in Nicaragua, what are you working on?

YB: We are working on several projects at the moment that focus on the monitoring of labor conditions. For example we are producing handbooks for the International Financial Corporation (IFC) for various industries.  

 

About the Pillars in Practice Program The Pillars in Practice (PiP) Program of SAI and the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) works to build the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) in Bangladesh, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe, to engage with and train on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (GPs). The program aims to activate a strategic alliance by establishing the training capacity of CSO partners in each of the three countries to sustainably promote and assist in the implementation of the GPs by local and multi-national companies, government agencies and other local CSOs. The PIP Project is funded by the U.S. State Department. Follow the project on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pillarsinpractice.  

 

Special thanks to Yolanda Brenes for this interview. This article and interview was prepared by SAI Development Manager Eliza Wright and SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong, with contributions from SAI Development Intern Tina Baboyan. For inquiries, contact Ms. Wright - [email protected].


Call for Suppliers: Brazil Worker Engagement Program
SAI invites S�o Paulo factories to join the Worker Engagement Program to improve health & safety systems
 
Companies in the So Paulo Region will be selected to participate in this program. Learn more at sa-intl.org/brazilregistration

Download Brochure:  
>>English [PDF | 1MB]
>>Portuguese [PDF | 1MB]

Over the past decade, it has become clear that to improve workplaces, there is a need for management systems and effective ways to engage teams in tackling specific problems.

Established October 2012, SAI's Brazil Worker Engagement Program aims to improve health and safety in workplaces of companies in the S�o Paulo region. This program is designed to build worker/manager teams at supplier factories to enhance health and safety systems to make the workplace safer and meet international labor standards.

The program will work with groups of companies to each set 100-day internal goals towards improving a specific health and safety issue. It will utilize the award-winning Rapid Results Institute methodology for change management to set and achieve goals through team building.

It will also leverage cutting-edge mobile technology to help support internal communications during the process.

Delivered in partnership with the Rapid Results Institute, the program will:  
  • Address root causes of health and safety issues
  • Expand on existing health and safety committees to form worker-manager Social Performance Teams
  • Make measurable improvements in one specific health and safety issue in a 100-day Rapid Results project - a methodology that can be used for further achievements in other areas
Thanks to generous support from the Walt Disney Company, SAI and its partner, the Rapid Results Institute, will offer this training and cutting-edge technology a no cost. Additional program services will come from Labor Link and The Cahn Group, both of which have deep expertise in working with manufacturers around the world.

Applicants will be selected from a range of industries, company sizes and health and safety performance levels. Commitment of senior management will be factored into the final selection. 

For more information, visit www.sa-intl.org/brazilregistration. For inquiries, contact SAI Senior Manager Jane Hwang - [email protected].

SA8000 Standard & Guidance Document Revision 
The SA8000 Standard & Guidance revision will provide considerably more specifics on fire safety

  

The SA8000 Standard and Guidance Document are currently being reviewed and amended, a revision process conducted every 5 years. Similar to the 2008 SA8000 Standard revision process, extensive multi-stakeholder consultations and review will take place. SAI invites your feedback and participation.

 

The revision process includes a period of public consultation, a requirement of ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards. Next month, SAI will launch a new section in the newsletter that will focus on the standard revision and issues related to SA8000 implementation in the field. It will also include excerpts from interviews between SAI's Senior Manager of Research and Stakeholder Relations Alex Katz and experts in the field of corporate social responsibility.    

 

This announcement was also captured in an interview by the India industry magazine - Textile ExcellenceAs announced in the March 2013 newsletter, fire safety will undoubtedly be a key focus in the upcoming revision - as part of the 'Health & Safety' element and provisions in the Management System element. Already changes have been put in place.   

 

Read the announcement in the India industry magazine Textile Excellence - http://bit.ly/12ygFfu. For more information, please contact SAI Senior Manager of Research & Stakeholder Relations Alex Katz - [email protected] .

Promoting Gender Equity in India's Garment Sector
Over 450 individuals from over 200 garment factories trained through SAI's RAGS Project in India
Photos from the RAGS Project training in New Delhi, April 19, 2013. From left: Primark's Pooja Singh shares her experience and guidance to the group about gender equity; snapshot of the thought process during the meeting that was captured on post-it notes. View more photos on SAI's Facebook page. [Photo credit: Rishi Sher Singh] 
SAI's RAGS Project continues at full steam to raise awareness and reduce gender discrimination in the Indian ready-made garment sector. As of April 2013, more than 450 individuals from over 170 factories in Bangalore, New Delhi and Tirupur have participated in the RAGS Project training course - "Management Systems to Address Gender Discrimination." 
 
SAI's India Program Director Rishi Sher Singh, along with local trainers, has led this major effort since the project started in December 2010. "It is always an emotional experience delivering the gender sensitization trainings for RAGS," said Mr. Singh. "In each workshop, there have been intense levels of participant interaction and shared learning. We are committed to continuing these trainings and to play a humble role in the broader effort to increase gender sensitivity in India."

In one of the exercises in the trainings, participants were asked to express their understanding of gender discrimination. One participant, a woman, remarked, " the difference in education causes discrimination...women have no freedom and men have all the freedom...it's pure foolishness and also a form of sexual domination -why must women have to always obey men?"

In addition to the classroom training, the RAGS Project recently launched an onsite factory training program on gender discrimination- "Building a Cross-Functional Team." Registration is still open, but limited to 30 ready-made garment supplier factories in India. The onsite training focuses on how to develop management systems within a factory to reduce gender discrimination, and works across departments and with workers within a factory to ensure an integrated effort for social compliance. Register for the training on SAI's website - http://bit.ly/14HwYdE.

We are grateful for its funding to UK AID's DFID. Special thanks to Primark and Gap Inc. for supporting this program and effectively encouraging their supplier factories to participate.

To learn more about SAI's RAGS Project, visit sa-intl.org/indiarags. View photos from the RAGS Project trainings on SAI's Facebook Page. For more information contact Mr. Singh at [email protected].

How Companies Can Implement the UN Guiding Principles for Business & Human Rights
This two-day training event aims to demonstrate how companies can transform principles to practice

   

May 29-30, 2013
Brussels, Belgium
Host: European Investment Bank (EIB)

June 25-26, 2013
S�o Paulo, Brazil
 
Sept. 23-24, 2013 Utrecht, The Netherlands 
June 2011, the UN adopted the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights, written by UN Special Representative John Ruggie. One of the tenets of the principles is that businesses are expected to respect human rights in their company and in their supply chains. But what does this mean and how is it accomplished?

The training answers these questions. It will provide understanding on:
  • Content, scope  and implications of the Guiding Principles  
  • How companies can meet their responsibility to respect human rights  
  • Distinguishing whether a company has caused, contributed to or is linked to adverse human rights impacts, and what actions are expected of the company as a response
  • Avoiding adverse impacts in the supply chain through collaborative approaches and mutual buyer-supplier responsibility  
  • Key human rights risks and how to prioritize among them
  • The business case for human rights 
Additionally the course introduces a six-step method on how to implement a supply chain management system that integrates respect for human rights. The six steps are:
  1. Committing to a human rights policy
  2. Assessing human rights impact
  3. Integrating human rights in policies, procedures and responsibilities
  4. Tracking human rights implementation
  5. Communicating human rights impact
  6. Remediating adverse human rights impacts

Expected Participants  

The training is applicable to companies in any industry and size. It is designed for use by senior management, as well as professionals in the human resources, corporate social responsibility, compliance and sourcing departments. In addition, the training is also intended for CSR experts and consultants who train or advise companies, as well as for NGO, trade union and government representatives to learn about the implications of the Guiding Principles for their work.

 

Trainers

The training in Brussels will be carried out by SAI Trainer Edwin Koster, and the Sao Paulo training will be carried out jointly by SAI Trainers Edwin Koster and Beat Gr�ninger. Mr. Koster heads Max Value, SAI's Authorized Representative office in Europe. He has broad experience in sustainable supply chain management and is the co-author of the Handbook and Toolkit used in the Training. Mr Gr�ninger is a partner of BSD Group and Director of BSD Brazil, SAI's Authorized Representative office in S�o Paulo. He has been acting for several years as a consultant for Fair Trade USA and is currently a local manager leading a Fair Trade USA/USAID Responsible Sourcing Project in Brazil, as well as participating in SAI's Brazil Worker Engagement Program.  

 

Hosts

In Brussels, the training will be generously hosted by the European Investment Bank (EIB). EIB is the European Union's bank, the only bank owned by and representing the interests of the European Union Member States. EIB supports projects that make a significant contribution to growth, employment, economic and social cohesion and environmental sustainability in Europe and beyond.  Website: http://www.eib.org 

 

For more information, please contact SAI Training Manager Stephanie Wilson - [email protected] 


Spotlight: SA8000 Certified Rug Company Kaleen 

Rug News & Design Magazine Profiles Kaleen's Commitment to Social Responsibility

Cover of the March 2013 issue of Rug News & Design Magazine.

The March 2013 issue of Rug Design & News
magazine profiled the rug company Kaleen for its recent SA8000 certification, and overall commitment to social responsibility. According to Rug News and Design, their definition of Social Responsibility for the rug industry is: "Empower women, educate children and provide healthcare in a safe working environment at a fair wage."  
 
The article outlined the 9 elements of the SA8000 Standard, and included a quote from Kaleen's Executive Vice President, Joe Barkley:  

 

"I believe this to be the single most important honor a manufacturer should strive to receive and we are extremely proud of the recognition of over forty years of achievement for our manufacture team and the dedication and commitment of the Rathi Family...Kaleen's social commitment has been a primary focus since Mr. Rathi started the company in 1964."

 

Read the full article on Rug News & Design's website- http://bit.ly/11sNDwL or view an excerpt on SAI's website - http://bit.ly/ZHAk7H.

 

For more information, please contact SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong - [email protected]. 

Back to top 


SA8000 Auditor Training in Lisbon
Group photo of participants from the Basic SA8000 Auditor Training course in Lisbon, Portugal on April 15-19, 2013 with SAI Lead Trainer Richard Rowe. View more photos from SA8000 auditor trainings on SAI's Facebook page: facebook.com/socialaccountabilityinternational [Photo credit: Richard Rowe]

On April 15-19, 2013 SAI convened a Basic SA8000 Auditor Training course in Lisbon, Portugal. The course was led by SAI Lead Trainer, Rochard Rowe, and attended by 18 delegates. View the photos from these trainings and more on SAI's Facebook page:  facebook.com/socialaccountabilityinternational.   

  

 

Upcoming SA8000 training courses:    


Location: Madrid, Spain  

Date: May 20-24, 2013   
 
SA8000 Advanced Auditor Training
Location: Bern, Switzerland  
Date: June 10-12, 2013



SAI training courses are designed to encourage proficiency in social compliance and emphasize the implementation of management systems in combination with performance elements. 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.

 

Complimentary seats for NGOs & trade unionsSAI knows that NGOs and trade unions are critical in helping to ensure human rights at work around the world. As class sizes vary based on venue capacity, we limit these complimentary seats to two representatives per class. 

 

For more information, contact SAI Training Manager, Stephanie Wilson at [email protected]



SA8000 Field Auditor Calibration Meeting: Vietnam
Group photo from the SA8000 Auditor Calibration meeting in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. [Photo credit: Badri Gulur]
On March 21, 2013, Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS) convened an SA8000 field auditor calibration meeting in Ho Chi Minh City. Calibration meetings are an important forum to discuss issues which affect all SAAS-accredited certification bodies, to answer any questions that may arise as a result of implementing the SA8000 system and come to agreement on the interpretation and expectations of both auditing and managing the system.  Topics covered at this meeting included revisions to SAAS procedures, issues relating to remuneration and overtime and auditing challenges in Vietnam.

The calibration was facilitated by SAI Lead Trainer and SAAS Senior Lead Accreditation Auditor Badri Gulur, and  was attended by representatives from ABS, BSI, BV, DNV, GlobalGROUP, Intertek, SGS, TUV Nord, TUV Rheinland, TUV SUD and CTI. The meeting was generously hosted by TUV SUD in Vietnam. 
 
SAAS convenes approximately 5 calibration meeting each year, and will conduct calibration meetings in Pakistan, Romania, India and China in 2013.  The next calibration meeting is expected to take place in Pakistan.

For more information, contact SAAS Client Coordinator Melanie Bower, [email protected].  

Highlights & Announcements
On April 8-12, SAI convened an in-house course for suppliers to the UK retailer Primark in Gurgaon, India - "Intro to SA8000 & Basic Auditor Training Course." The course was led by SAI Lead Trainer Badri Gulur. [Photo credit: Sunil Chetiwal]
Reducing Child Labor and Forced Labor in Global Supply Chains On April 11, the U.S. Department of Labor hosted a free panel discussion that was streamed live online from Washington D.C. SAI Advisory Board member Bob Mitchell from Hewlett Packard was one of the panelists. One of the items discussed was the USDOL's toolkit for responsible business. Check out the toolkit at http://1.usa.gov/SABo0f  and a recap of the discussion at - http://bit.ly/YE4r0x.
 
Ashoka Future Forum SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin is a Founding Member of the Ashoka Global Academy for Social Entrepreneurship. On May 30-31, Ashoka will hosts its Future Forum in Washington D.C.- learn more: http://bit.ly/Ze5sB4

SAI President Interviewed in India's Textile Excellence Magazine The interview put out a call to all stakeholders in the garment industry to participate in SAI's SA8000 Standard revision. Read the article: http://bit.ly/12ygFfu

Corporate Branding & CSR This Spring 2013, SAI President Alice Tepper Marlin co-teaches a course at the NYU Stern School of Business with NYU Professor Bruce Buchanan. Representatives from SAI Corporate Programs member companies and experts in the sustainability and human rights field are among the guest lecturers: Amy Hall EILEEN FISHER; Laura Rubbo, Disney; Mike Posner, former head of the U.S. State Dept. - DRL; and Jeffrey Hollander, founder of Seventh Generation. Check out the syllabus - http://bit.ly/11ucNKj.