News from Social Accountability International

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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

Website: www.sa-intl.org

For newsletter inquiries contact: SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong, jong@sa-intl.org

SAI 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.

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...>>Read more

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...>>Read more

Special thanks to Sanjiv Singh for this interview. For more information, contact Mr. Singh at SSingh@sa-intl.org or Ms. Ong at JOng@sa-intl.org.

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. We interviewed SAI Lead Trainer & Representative in Costa Rica, Yolanda Brenes, to discuss the relevance and context for the upcoming 'Pillars in Practice' training in Chinandega and Managua, Nicaragua, 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. 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...>>Read more

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 - Ewright@sa-intl.org.

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 S�o 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...>>Read more

For more information, visit www.sa-intl.org/brazilregistration. For inquiries, contact SAI Senior Manager Jane Hwang - JHwang@sa-intl.org.

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 Excellence. As announced in the March 2013 newsletter, fire safety will undoubtedly be a key focus in the upcoming revision...>>Read more

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 - AKatz@sa-intl.org .

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...>>Read more

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

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

>>Register Now

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...>>Read more

For more information, please contact SAI Training Manager Stephanie Wilson - SWilson@sa-intl.org.

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...>>Read more

Read the full article on SAI's website- http://bit.ly/ZHAk7H. For more information, please contact SAI Communications Manager Joleen Ong - JOng@sa-intl.org.

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...>>Read more

For more information, contact SAI Training Manager, Stephanie Wilson at SWilson@sa-intl.org.

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 managing...>>Read more

For more information, contact SAAS Client Coordinator Melanie Bower, MBower@saasaccreditation.org.

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.