Report - Labour Rights in Unilever’s Supply Chain: From compliance to good practice. Vietnam 2013

Just released on the 7/2/2013 a new Oxfam Report - Labours Rights in Univelever's Supply Chain - based on research in Vietnam.

The study focused on issues which are important to workers but difficult for companies to measure and manage: Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining; a Living Wage; and Working Hours and Contract Labour.

Unilever, co-operated fully with the study, providing access to its staff, operations, data and suppliers. This enabled Oxfam to assess the labor standards in the context of international standards and local conditions.

We hope the study will positively influence not only Unilever but other companies whose supply chain feature low wages, weak industrial relations and precarious work, and encourage them to engage openly with CSOs to understand and tackle these issues in the future.

The report has been translated into Vietnamese and the findings will be discussed with Vietnamese stakeholders at an event organised by Oxfam Vietnam on 5th April, followed by a workshop for Unilever's suppliers the following week.

The study is an example of Oxfam's private sector advocacy aimed at positively influencing areas of business practice which in our view do not sufficiently respect the rights of people in poverty. 

http://www.oxfam.org/en/policy/labor-rights-unilevers-supply-chain

Permalink: http://oxf.am/3bN

Read Tim Smedley in Guardian Sustainable Business: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/unilever-labour-practices-vietnam-oxfam-report

and blogs on on Oxfam's policy and practice website.