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November/ December 2014
1. HP Releases Foreign Migrant Worker Standard
2. SAI Succession Posting: CEO
3. SAI Fall Advisory Board Meeting
4. Common SA8000 Questions Answered
5. SA8000:2014 Online Revision Course Part 1
6. SA8000 and GSCP Equivalence
7. SAI Hiring Director of Strategic Programs
8. SA8000 Auditor Training Course Snapshots
9. Highlights & Announcements
Jobs & Internships 
Pillars in Practice Program
 

 

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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, Philippines, Switzerland, and UAE.


SAI- Human Rights at Work

For newsletter inquiries contact: SAI Director of Operations Michelle Bhattacharyya, mbhattacharyya@sa-intl.org 
NovDec SAI Signatory HP Protects Foreign Migrant Workers

New Policy Corresponds well to SAI's SA8000

 

The Hewlett-Packard Company

On October 10, 2014, SAI Signatory Member Hewlett Packard (HP) announced new protections for foreign migrant workers. The HP Foreign Migrant Worker Standard is an impressive policy and leadership moment for HP, the first company in the IT industry to require direct employment of foreign migrant workers in its supply chain.
 

SAI took the time to perform a comparison of these protections with our SA8000 standard. We found that HP's policy meets SAI's provisions for preventing migratory labor abuses. Both disallow any infringement of worker rights to retain their passports and other personal identification documents. Both standards also prohibit employers from charging employment fees or costs to workers.
 

The HP policy also requires direct employment, a provision that will be referenced in the soon to be released SA8000:2014 Guidance Document. Similarly HP requires that all foreign migrant workers be provided a written employment contract, in their native language, prior to departure from the sending country. It must describe all the terms and conditions of their employment with the supplier. Such a provision is also included in the newly created SA8000 Performance Indicator Annex, easily accessed here.
 

SAI is proud to count HP as a Signatory Member and thought leader on the issues faced by migrant laborers. HP's standard is rigorous and ties closely to the SA8000 standard, which is informed by a wide variety of stakeholder groups worldwide. SAI congratulates HP on this impactful standard and urges other companies to adopt similar policies to support the rights of migrant laborers in their supply chains.
 

For more information on HP's initiative to protect foreign migrant workers click here.
 

SAI Succession Posting: Chief Executive Officer 

SAI Now Accepting Applications  

 

Reporting to the SAI Board of Directors, the CEO provides inspirational leadership and ensures that SAI's program, fiscal and resource development, human resources, and operational strategies are implemented effectively across all segments of the organization. 

 
 SAI is seeking a highly qualified leader with demonstrated commitment to the advancement of human rights and to decent, safe and health workplace conditions.


At least 10 years of senior managerial experience is required, preferably in corporate social responsibility, labor relations, international development or other decent workplace human-rights-related field. Both corporate and nonprofit experience is preferred as well as management of a global or multisite organization.
 

Please see the full list of responsibilities and requirements on SAI's job posting here. No phone calls please.
 

For more information , contact recruits@sa-intl.org 

SAI Advisory Board Meeting Highlights

TenSquared, Forced Labor, New Advisory Board Member & New Signatory

 

SAI Advisory Board at HP Headquarters in Palo Alto, CA

HP graciously hosted SAI's semi-annual Advisory Board (AB) meeting November 11-13, 2014, in Palo Alto, CA. Amy Hall, Head of Corporate Social Consciousness at Eileen Fisher, chairs the AB.
 

SAI Founder and CEO, Alice Tepper Marlin

Meeting highlights include:

  • TenSquared was selected as a pooled project, meaning all Signatory Members are committed together to working on TenSquared in 2015.
  • AB members selected a logo for TenSquared.
  • HP announced a ground-breaking supply chain policy on foreign forced labor. HP is the first in the IT industry to require direct employment by its suppliers of foreign migrant workers in its supply chain. To read the policy,  click here
  • Tata Steel's Sunil Bhaskaran announced that the company will join as an SAI Signatory Member.
  • Alice Tepper Marlin reported excellent progress towards SAI's 2014-5 measurable goals to Embed human rights in company operations, Empower people to protect worker rights, Propel consensus based on sustainable solutions and Innovate to Transform with tools to enable stakeholders to advance human rights in the workplace.
  • Laura Rubbo, Director, International Labor Standards at The Walt Disney Company, participated at her first AB meeting as a member.
  • Advisory Board members toasted Eileen Kohl Kaufman for her leadership at SAI over the 17 years since our founding.

TenSquared (formerly known as the Worker Engagement Social Fingerprint Rapid Results (SFRR) project) was a major focus of the meeting. Jane Hwang, Director of Corporate Programs and Training and incoming COO (as of January 1), was joined in this discussion by Nadim Matta, President and Founding Board Member of Rapid Results Institute, Dundar Sahin, SAI Authorized Rep in Turkey, and Slava, Director of Creative Services at STV Incorporated. AB members selected a logo for the project and provided advice on scaling up tenSquared and its the remarkable impact. For more information about TenSquared, click here.

 

SAI was also happy to welcome to the meeting Joe Iarocci, Managing Partner at Servant Leadership Now and member of the SAI Board of Directors, Bruce Klafter of Flextronics, Kerri Smith, board member of Rainforest Alliance, and Cimarron Nix, HP Supply Chain Labor and H&S Program Manager.

 

Sunil Bhaskaran, Vice President of Corporate Services at Tata Steel Limited, described the company's impressive plans to enable SA8000-certified Tata Steel facility suppliers to also adhere to SA8000. Tata Steel will work with SAI's TenSquared project in this endeavor, as part of their Signatory membership.

 

Bruce Klafter described the success of the TenSquared 100-day project in Brazil at one of Flextronics' factories and how well it fit with Flextronics' LEAN system. Flextronics is a supplier to HP, which introduced this supplier to TenSquared.


 

Joe Iarrocci and Amy Hall briefed the Advisory Board on SAI's Search Committee's plans to select a highly qualified new CEO to succeed CEO and founder Alice Tepper Marlin. The selected candidate will take office by December 31, 2015.


 

Luna Lee, Human Rights Leader at Eileen Fisher, presented the company's most impressive Sustainability 2020 program, focusing on their work on living wages. 


 

Olga Orozco, Senior Advisor, BSCI (Business Social compliance Initiative of the Foreign Trade Association of Europe) presented BSCI's new code and implementation system.


 

Laura Rubbo

Newly elected Advisory Board Member Laura Rubbo, Director, International Labor Standards at The Walt Disney Company, participated in her first Advisory Board meeting as an Advisory Board member.  Disney's International Labor Standards program seeks to foster safe, inclusive and respectful workplaces wherever Disney-branded products are made. 


 

Laura plays a key leadership role at The Walt Disney Company, managing strategy, policy and programs for Disney's global supply chain labor standards program.  Among her responsibilities, she leads the global factory monitoring program, external stakeholder engagement and communications, industry collaboration, supply chain philanthropic investments, risk assessment, research, and training. 


 

Laura is Vice Chair of the Corporate Responsibility Committee of the United States Council for International Business, a former Board Member of Social Accountability Accreditation Services, a Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California's Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab, and member of the Board of Overseers of the University of Connecticut's Human Rights Institute.  Laura was also part of the United States delegation to the International Labor Organization's 2014 International Labor Conference.  Laura has a Master's Degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University and a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and German from the University of Connecticut.

 

SAI thanks HP for hosting the meeting in its beautiful California office and for a celebratory dinner where Advisory Board members toasted Eileen Kohl Kaufman for her leadership at SAI over the 17 years since our founding! We shall all miss her dearly.

 

For more information, please contact SAI Program Assistant Alicia Mara - AMara@sa-intl.org

 


SAI Technical Director Answers SA8000 Questions

Badrinath Gulur: External Verification & Stakeholder Engagement
 

Badrinath Gulur

SAI caught up with SAI Technical Director, Badrinath Gulur, to discuss common questions about SA8000 external verification and stakeholder engagement. 


SA8000 Standard Requirement:  External Verification and Stakeholder Engagement

 

The provision: In the case of announced and unannounced audits for the purpose of certifying compliance with the requirements of this Standard, the organization shall fully cooperate with external auditors to determine the severity and frequency of any problems that arise in meeting the SA8000 Standard.


 

The organization shall participate in stakeholder engagement in order to attain sustainable compliance with the SA8000 Standard.
  

Q: What terms of cooperation is a certified organization expected to provide for the external auditors?
 

A: The certified organization shall ensure that it provides access to the external auditors to audit the entire facility during both announced and unannounced audits. Whereas all organizations extend their cooperation during announced audits, there are some situations where auditors find that information and access during unannounced audits are not forthcoming.  In addition to the mandatory "unannounced audit' in the audit cycle, unannounced audits are possible in order to investigate any complaints against the certified organization. Under all of these situations, it is required that the organization shall cooperate by providing all information and assistance to the certification body to carry out the audit. 
 

Q: What constitutes the organization's participation in stakeholder engagement to attain sustainable compliance with the SA 8000 Standard.   
 

A: The most important facet of this element is to understand the distinctive aspect between 'stakeholder participation' and 'stakeholder engagement'.  A good preliminary step is to identify the broad spectrum of relevant stakeholders in the area and engage with them in a proactive manner.  In some countries and regions, there may not be mainstream stakeholders like trade unions and NGO's/GRO's (Grass root organizations) actively working. In such cases, it is prudent to extend the stakeholder engagement to local administration/civil society organizations/labor advocates/projects run by multilateral agencies/cultural organizations etc.  This provides for a comprehensive perspective of chronic labor problems in the area and can identify potential areas of collaboration and knowledge sharing with the stakeholders.  Many organizations have used the stakeholder engagement platform to leverage and sustain their SA8000 compliance.


 

Q: More often than not, we continue to address the rights and concerns of the workers. Are the rights and concerns of the supervisors and managers within the scope of the Standard?
 

A: This is a common and typical question that continues to crop up during the training sessions.  The spirit and intent of the SA8000 Standard is to address the human rights of all personnel and the terminology 'Personnel' has been clearly defined to include all within the scope of the organization's activities. While the definition of the 'worker' in the Standard has been indicated as 'all non-management personnel' the definitive aspect that distinguishes the worker relates to that person's roles and responsibilities. While everyone in the organization has roles and responsibilities, the worker is the only one who lacks authority. Anyone above the worker, be it the supervisor, manager, or top management, has roles, responsibilities and authority depending on their level in the organization. Consistent with the spirit and intent of the Standard, the rights of the workers have to be addressed as a priority as they are most at risk and generally receive the lowest compensation and benefits. As an SA8000 auditor, one has to look at the larger picture during the audits to deliver value. 
 

Q: In the case of unannounced audits, what if the company's senior management and the management representative are not present in the company or are busy with other audits? Should they still provide access to its premises?
 

A: The intent of the unannounced audits is to ensure that the company provides reasonable access to the auditors to conduct the audit. If the senior managers and the SA8000 management representative are not present on the day of the unannounced audit, the company still has the responsibility to provide access to the auditors to conduct the audit. It is required that the auditors be allowed all possible access to relevant documents, records and interviewing staff who are available. 
 

Auditors should not cross the ' information boundary' in terms of asking information like financial figures and business information that is not relevant to the audit scope.


 

For more information please contact Technical Director, Badrinath Gulur at BGulur@sa-intl.org

 


SA8000:2014 Online Revision Course

Part 1 has been released

 

SAI has released the first of two Online Revision Courses. SA8000:2014 Online Revision Course - Part 1: Changes to the Standard is now available for complimentary enrollment. To enroll in the course please visit our Training Page , or   Click Here to go directly to the enrollment instructions.  For details on the SA8000:2014 revision process including updating of auditor certificates, please review Part 8 of the  SAAS Advisory.
  

This online course reviews all of the changes made to the SA8000 Standard during the 2013-2014 revision process. The course focuses on the most significant changes from the SA8000: 2008 to the SA8000:2014. (To learn more about the Revision Process, click here). This course also serves as a useful standalone course for auditors in general, and for other stakeholders who want to learn about the SA8000:2014.   
 

The course reviews the overarching changes made to the Standard and explains the significant changes in full detail.  Significant changes were made to the following elements of SA8000:

  • Element 2: Forced or Compulsory Labor
  • Element 3: Health and Safety
  • Element 9: Management Systems

This online course will take approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete. It can be accessed online at any time that is convenient for the participant. On-screen slides, recorded audio and a scored on-screen exam help participants to learn at their own pace and conduct self-checks. Participants will receive a Certificate of Achievement upon successful completion of the course and final online exam.*
 

*Please Note: This course is the first of two required courses for auditors who completed, or will complete, the SA8000 Basic Auditor Training Course prior to January 2015. Both revision courses will be offered free of charge for an extended period of time. For details on the SA8000:2014 revision process including updating of auditor certificates, please review Part 8 of the SAAS Advisory.

 

Please review the above information, including the  SAAS Advisory and the Common Questions for the SA800:2014 Revision

For more information, contact SAI Program Assistant, Alicia Mara - AMara@sa-intl.org


 


SA8000 Scores High on GSCP Equivalence

SAI Completed 2 Year Long Equivalence Process on SA8000 Standard

 

Equivalency as a way to increase the knowledge and understanding of the SA8000 Standard. Our aim in publishing and publicizing our results is to increase transparency into the SA8000 Standard and a mutual review of its requirements and thus reduce the duplication of audits by increasing the recognition and acceptance of SA8000 as a high quality certification by buying companies, initiatives, standard setting bodies and others.
 

The SA8000 Standard is central to our work at SAI. It is one of the world's first auditable social certification standards for decent workplaces, across nearly all industrial SAI is pleased to have completed the GSCP Equivalence Process comparison of SA8000: 2008 against the GSCP Reference Code (social). We are enthusiastic about the GSCP sectors. It is based on the UN Declaration of Human Rights, conventions of the ILO, UN and national law, and ISO management systems. SA8000 spans industry and corporate codes to create a common language to measure social performance.  It was the first labor standard to take a management systems approach by setting out the processes necessary to ensure that compliance with the standard is continuously reviewed and non-compliances addressed. Those seeking to comply with SA8000 have adopted policies and procedures that protect the basic human rights of workers.
 

The GSCP Equivalence Process is a system to benchmark against the GSCP Reference Tools. Its purpose is to drive continuous improvement in the content of standards while preserving their specificities. The process begins with a self-assessment of internal tools and processes against the GSCP tools. Then, gaps in requirements or implementation process are identified. Finally, users are able to make improvements to their standard and tools as they see fit.
 

Overall, the equivalence process for SA8000: 2008 scores were 12 A+ (27%); 24 A (53%); 8 B(18%); and 1 C (2%). Thus, 80% of the total grades were "A" or "A+". With the release of SA8000: 2014, we are confident that the GSCP equivalency grades would be even higher.
 

Several of the lower grades are due to specific wording, not the rigor of the standard. SAI has therefore chosen to add its own comments to the results in order to explain the lower grades. In order to access the results, please click here.

 

For more information please contact Alex Katz, Senior Manager of Research and Stakeholder Relations at AKatz@sa-intl.org

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SAI Seeks Director of Strategic Programs

SAI Now Accepting Applications  
 

Social Accountability International is hiring a Director of Strategic Programs to join the SAI team. 
 

Social Accountability International (SAI) advances human rights at work, driven by diverse perspectives to navigate evolving labor issues. We design and implement innovative processes that empower and inspire stakeholders and facilitate partnerships. 
 

Capacity building programs at SAI include training, technical assistance, research, stakeholder engagement and other activities in support of SAI's mission.  In SAI's strategic plan, these encompass a range of projects, online and classroom training, and research. This position will focus on development and growth opportunities prioritized by the SAI executive team in annual plans.
 

Reporting to the COO, the Director will design, develop, market and implement key SAI capacity building programs.
 

The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 8 years' experience with a proven track record in project and program management roles, preferably on international projects and on both grant-funded and fee-for-service programs and possess strong technical knowledge of management systems for social compliance, supply chain, human resource management systems. Broad analytical skills and the ability to manage aggressive deadlines is required as well as attention to detail. 
 

Please see the full list of responsibilities and requirements on SAI's job posting here. Incomplete applications will not be considered. No phone calls please.

 

For more information , contact recruits@sa-intl.org

SA8000 Auditor Training Courses
Snapshots from courses that took place in
Shanghai (China), Lima (Peru), and New York City (USA)


SA8000 Basic Auditor Training course in Shanghai, China
October 20-24, 2014 with SAI Lead Trainer Shirley To (1st row, 4th from right). 

SA8000 Basic Auditor Training course in Lima, Peru
October 13-17, 2014 with SAI Lead Trainer Yolanda Brenes.
   SA8000 Basic Auditor Training course in New York City, USA
November 3-7 with SAI Lead Trainer, Richard Rowe (top left). 

 

 

Learn more about SAI's SA8000 Basic & Advanced auditor training course on SAI's website. For more information about SAI's SA8000 Auditor Training courses, visit sa-intl.org/trainingschedule or contact Emily Crain - Ecrain@sa-intl.org
Highlights & Announcements

UN Global Compact Third Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights

On December 1-3 SAI Authorized Representative, Steven Oates, and Advisory Board member Laura Rubbo participated in the Third Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights organized by the UN Global Compact in Geneva, Switzerland. The forum focused on multi-stakeholder dialogue and engagement, national action plans to implement the Guiding Principles, and access to effective remedy and identifying current and good practices. SAI especially benefited from the sessions related to imperative issues such as working hours, living wage, and CSR best practices. 

Public Launch of the First Wide-Scale Business and Human Rights Benchmarking and Ranking Project

A group of investors, an NGO, a think tank and an investor research agency, today announce the launch of the first wide-scale project to rank companies on their human rights performance. A total of 500 of the top global companies from four key sectors - Agriculture, ICT, Apparel, and Extractices - will initally be research and ranked. For more information please read the full press release here!

For further information please contact Tracie Ninh at TNinh@sa-intl.org