SINO‘s Code Of Condu... BSCI Charity
Dear supplier
SINO Textile prides itself on having a positive impact on all communities where products manufactured by and for SINO.
We believe that good-working conditions in our supplier's factories are closely related to better quality, increase of work turnover and better overall factory productivity.
SINO expect our suppliers to follow the SINO Code Of Conduct, local laws, and international workplace standards.
We hope that our suppliers will find this manual to be a useful complement to their own efforts to satisfy the Code of Conduct compliance requirements of SINO and their other customers.
If you have any comments or suggestions, please e-mail the SINO purchase department.
Best Regards
SINO Textile
We expect all SINO’s suppliers to follow the SINO Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct defines our minimum expectations. We expect our suppliers to ensure that no exploitative conditions or unsafe working conditions exist at the facilities where materials for SINO are manufactured.
All standards set forth in this Code of Conduct are subject to compliance with the international and domestic laws.
All suppliers must operate in the full compliance with laws of their respective country of manufacturing.
SINO requirements may go beyond requirements in the national law. In this case suppliers must follow SINO’s requirements.
In order to show compliance the supplier must as a minimum be able to provide below documentation:
- Age for employment and treatment of workers
- Harassment and abuse, over more criminal penalties for physical abuse. Health and safety relevant to the factory
- Discrimination
- Treatment of female workers, including maternity regulations. Wages and benefits
- Work hours and overtime
- Freedom of association, including regulations related to trade unions.
- Environmental regulations
SINO does not accept any child labour and no employees must be younger than national law requires for employment.
Suppliers must ensure that they do not employ anyone below the legal age of employment.
All suppliers are required to maintain official documentation for the verification of each worker's date of birth.
All suppliers must act in compliance with the local regulations regarding employment of younger workers. The regulations must include types of work, work schedules and labour intensity according to the domestic labour law.
In order to show compliance the supplier must minimum be able provide below documentation:
- The supplier company policy manual must provide a description of the hiring procedures. The suppliermust maintain all applicable laws and regulations.
- The supplier must be able to present government issued photo identification of all employees.
- In some areas, workers use borrowed or false identification. The supplier must have implemented ways for the human resource staff to identify applicant using falsified personal identification at the time of hire.
- Restrictions on work hours and conditions for young workers: The SINO suppliers must ensure that they adhere to regulations governing work hours, overtime, weekend and night work, exposure to chemicals, working conditions and other restrictions placed on younger workers who, although of legal age to work, are not yet 18 years of age. The work must not be harmful to the child’s health or the physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.
- The supplier must provide specific written material to the younger workers in addition to the company handbook that outline specific regulations relevant to their employment.
- Further the supplier must be verbally explained the regulations and emphasize that the young workers has a role in assuring these regulations are followed.
- Policies and procedures for remediation of child labour prohibited by ILO conventions no.138 and 182, shall be established, documented, and communicated to personnel and other interested parties. Adequate support shall be provided to enable such children to attend and complete compulsory education.
Relevant laws and standards:
- International Labour Organization Core Conventions:
- Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (Convention 138)
- Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (Convention 182)
- Local laws
The supplier must maintain a clear written plan and complete records describing the program. Objectives and timeline and which employees are enrolled in the program must incorporate into a written document.
Training wages must not be lower than the local minimum wages.
Normal training periods for all jobs must be defined and incorporated into a written policy.
No training periods should exceed three months and no employee can be considered a trainee for longer than three months.
Relevant laws and standards:
- International Labour Organization Core Conventions:
- Local laws
All workers must be treated with respect and dignity. Workers must not be exposed to any physical, verbal, sexual or psychological harassment or abuse in the connection with their employment.
There must be no corporal punishment. Behavior which is sexually coercive, threatening, abusive or exploitative must not be permitted.
In order to show compliance the supplier must as a minimum be able to provide below documentation:
The supplier must ensure that all personal understand the definitions of harassment and abuse. This including physical, verbal, sexual and psychological harassment and abuse.
The supplier must have a hand written company policy on harassment and abuse that included exact definitions of unacceptable behavior, and a clear system for employees to report violations.
Due to the fact that most instances of harassment and abuse occur between employees and their direct superiors, the reporting system must enable employees to report problems to someone other than their direct superiors.
The supplier must ensure that all employees receive training on harassment and abuse, and make sure that they understand the company policy on acceptable behavior. Most importantly that the employees feel comfortable using the established reporting system.
The supplier must develop and maintain a comprehensive report to ensure that all cases of harassment and abuse are reported so they can be addressed.
Relevant laws and standards:
-UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Art. 7
Employers must provide a safe and sanitary working environment in order to avoid work-related
accidents and injuries.
In premises where below standard are higher than required by local law, business partner are expected to implement these standards.
Further SINO expect all business partners to develop professional health and safety plans in order to ensure high standards on the factory floor from day to day.
Each production plant must have a written fire safety plan and there must be a manager who is assigned the overall responsibility for fire safety. Fire alarms, fire exits and fire extinguishers must be available and displayed as well as maintained, changed and inspected.
The exits must allow for the orderly evacuation in case of fire or other emergencies. Emergency exit routes must be posted and clearly marked in all sections of the manufacturer’s facilities and dormitory facilities. Emergency exits must be kept clear at all time.Fire drills must be conducted at least twice per year and fire drill training must be a part of orientation of new employees
The manufacturer must keep at least one well stocked first aid kit easily accessible in each working or dormitory area.
The working environment must be safe and healthy and the manufacturer must take adequate steps to prevent accidents and injury to health. Clean bathrooms and access to potable water must be provided for the use by all workers. If dormitory facilities are provided for workers they must be clean, safe, meet the basic needs and must be sufficiently lighted and ventilated.Cafeteria facilities must have a high standard of cleanliness and food supplies must be fresh.
Employee representatives must be included in discussions of food offered in the cafeterias.
Relevant laws and standards:
-ILO Convention No. 155 and ILO Recommendation No. 164
All decisions related to all employment must be made in a non-discriminatory manner.
No discrimination shall be tolerated in hiring, remuneration, access to training, promotion, termination or retirements based on gender, age, religion, race, caste, birth, social background, disability, ethnic and national origin, nationality, membership in workers’ organizations including unions, political affiliation or opinions, sexual orientation, family responsibilities, marital status, or any other condition that could give rise to discrimination.
SINO require that all female employees will not face discrimination in the workplace. Employees must not be terminated because they are pregnant or may become pregnant.
Pre-employment or on-going pregnancy testing will not be accepted.
Employees who take legally mandated maternity leave must be reinstated to the same position at the same pay upon returning to work.
Relevant Laws and Standards:
- International Labor Organization Core Conventions: 100,111,143,158,159,169 & 183
- Local Law
Supplier must pay for all work completed and must pay at least minimum wage required by law or prevailing to the industry wage level. All workers and employees must have the right to equal pay for equal work as well as periodic holiday with pay regardless of personal characteristics such as gender or place of origin.
The supplier must not engage in false apprenticeship practices that are used to avoid payment of compensation.
Employees must be paid on time and according to an established schedule that reasonably takes employee needs into consideration.
All legal benefits must be provided to all eligible employees. The employees must be informed about their benefits during hiring. In particular all legal maternity benefits are expected to be provided to employees.
Deductions from wages must be reasonable, legal and in keeping with the local industry standards. No deductions must be made for equipment or tools used by employees or for personal protective equipment. These items must be provided by the factory at no charge.
There must be no deductions of wages due to disciplinary purposes.
The supplier shall comply with applicable national laws and industry standards on working hours and
public holidays. The supplier must not require an excess of a 48 hours workweek on a regularly scheduled basic and the maximum allowable overtime hours in a week shall not exceed 12 hours.
Workers are entitled to one day off out of each seven-day week.
Exceptions to this rule apply only where both of the following conditions exists:
a) National law allows work time exceeding this limit; and
b) A freely negotiated collective bargaining agreement is in force that allows work time averaging, including adequate rest periods.
Workers shall not be asked or required to take work home or off premises.
All hours worked must be documented in writing and made available to SINO staff upon request.
Exceptional business circumstances requiring a workweek in excess of the local official workweek (or
48-hours workweek, whichever is lower) must be subject to the laws regarding the payment of overtime in addition to compensation for regular hours of work. Overtime hours are to be worked solely on a voluntary basis.
In countries where there is no legal standard regarding overtime premiums, industry standards must be the model. In NO event must this be at a rate less than the regular hourly rate.
Suppliers must carry out operations in ways that limit overtime to a level that complies with the domestic labour laws and ensures productivity and humane working conditions.
Relevant Laws and Standards:
- ILO Convention No. 131
- ILO Convention No. 1 and 14
Workers, without distinction, shall have the right to join or form trade unions of their own choosing and to bargain collectively. The employer shall not interfere with, obstruct, the formation of unions or collective bargaining.
Workers representatives shall not be discriminated and shall have access to carry out their representative functions in the workplace. Where the right to freedom of association and/or collective bargaining is restricted under law, the employer shall facilitate, and not hinder, the development of alternative forms of independent and free workers representation and negotiations.
Suppliers must respect the personnel’s right to form, join and organize Trade Unions of their own choice and to bargain collectively.
Where domestic laws limits the freedom of association, supplier must not obstruct legal alternative means of free association, and must in all cases implement effective systems to assure open communications with the employees.
Relevant Laws and Standards:
- ILO Conventions Nos. 87, 98, 135 and 154
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There must not be any use of forced labour, whether in the form of prison labour, indentured labour,
bonded labour, or otherwise. No personal must be required to lodge deposits and/or original identity papers upon commencing employment with the company.
The personnel’s salary, benefits, property, or documents must not be withheld in order to force such personnel to keep working at the company. Further the personnel shall be free to terminate their employment provided that they give reasonable notice to the employer.
There must be no penalties or fines for declining overtime.
Workers must not be locked inside the factory premises for any reason.
Corporal punishment, mental or physical coercion and verbal abuse of personnel must not be engaged or tolerated.
Relevant standards:
International Labor Organization Core Conventions:
-Forced Labor Convention, 1930 (Convention 29)
-Abolition of forced Labor Convention, 1957 (Convention 105)
All suppliers must comply with the domestic environment laws. Manufacturers, suppliers and
subcontractors must certify compliance with environmental regulations in their country.
Practices that minimizes the impact on the environment must be encouraged. Care must be taken with any environmental sensitive substance or process.
In signing the contract suppliers guarantee that the materials supplied to SINO comply with our chemical restrictions.
When the supplier has the choice between chemicals with the same function, he must choose the chemical that is least hazardous to the environment.
SINO encourage its suppliers and their subcontractors to surpass compliance with the local environment laws by adopting best practice principles and to continuously seek improved methods to minimize any adverse environmental impact of their operations.
Animals welfare shall be respected in accordance with the Internationally accepted ethical standards for breeding and keeping animals. Such standard must include the animals’ ability to move as well as access to food, water and exclude harsh and cruel treatment of the animals.
All wool material are to be mulesing-free.
SINO, including all our suppliers must not trading with partners that have activities in countries where a trade boycott is imposed by the UN and/or China Government authorities.
An anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy within all business activities has to be established. Corruption in any form is not accepted, including bribery, extortion, kickbacks and improper
private or professional benefits to customers, contractors, suppliers or employees of any such
party or government officials.
This Code of Conduct applies to all subcontractors utilized by SINO.
All suppliers are required to take all necessary steps to ensure that its subcontractors adhere to this Code of Conduct. No sub-contractors must be used without SINO’ prior approval.
The manufacturer must translate this Code of Conduct into the local language. It is the manufactures full responsibility to display the conditions prominently in the places of work and workers dormitory facilities.
Nominated representatives are entitled to visit the manufacturer and its subcontractors plants at any time in order to inspect the conditions and investigate if the Code of Conduct is being complied with.
In case non-compliance with the Code of Conduct, repeated violations of the Code of Conduct and un- willingness to improve, SINO sees no other solution than to terminate the collaboration with the supplier.
- We, the undersigned hereby acknowledge having received, read, understood and become officially aware of the Code of Conduct from SINO.
- We confirm that we are aware of all relevant laws and regulations of the country or countries in which our company operates
- We understand that not complying with this Code of Conduct, can lead to termination of collaboration
- We give all SINO nominated representatives the right to interview any employee during inspection of our company’s compliance with this Code of Conduct.
- We will make the contents of this Code of Conduct available and understandable to all our employees and subcontractors
Company name Date
Signature
Name
This declaration of acknowledgement is to be signed by an authorized representative of the company. The original is to be sent to SINO ASAP.
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