Corporate Social Accountability

The care of the Company’s social accountability policy is to a large extent based on convention and recommendation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The objective is to monitor the activities of all suppliers of all apparel products to Uniform Express to assess compliance with the following principles.


Compliance with Laws and Workplace Regulations

Manufacturers of sewn products will comply with laws and regulations in all locations where they conduct business.

Prohibition of Forced Labour

Manufacturers of sewn products will not use involuntary or forced labour, indentured, bonded or otherwise.

Prohibition of Child Labour

Manufacturers of sewn products will not hire any employees under the age of 16, or under the age interfering with compulsory schooling, or under the minimum age established by law, whichever is greater.

Prohibition of Harassment or Abuse

Manufacturers of sewn products will provide a work environment free of harassment, abuse or corporal punishment in any form.

Compensation and Benefits

Manufacturers of sewn products will pay at least the minimum total compensation required by local law, including all mandated wages, allowances and benefits.

Hours of Work

Manufacturers of sewn products will comply with hours worked each day, and days worked each week, shall not exceed the legal limitations of the countries in which sewn product is produced. Manufacturers of sewn product will provide at least one day off in every seven-day period, except as required to meet urgent business needs.

Prohibition of Discrimination

Manufacturers of sewn products will employ, pay, promote and terminate workers on the basis of their ability to do the job, rather than on the basis of personal characteristics or beliefs.

Health and Safety

Manufacturers of sewn products will provide a safe and healthy work environment. Where residential housing is provided for workers, apparel manufacturers will provide safe and healthy housing.

Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining

Manufacturers of sewn products will recognise and respect the right of employees to exercise their lawful rights of free association and collective bargaining.

Environment

Manufacturers of sewn products will comply with environmental rules, regulations and standards applicable to their operations, and will observe environmentally conscious practices in all locations where they operate.

Customs Compliance

Manufacturers of sewn products will comply with applicable customs law and, in particular, will establish and maintain programs to comply with customs laws regarding illegal transhipment of apparel products.

Security

Manufacturers of sewn products will maintain facility security procedures to guard against the introduction of non-manifested cargo into outbound shipments (e.g. drugs, explosives, biohazards, and/or other contraband).


Management of the Social Accountability Policy

To be effective, the policy must be documented, implemented and communicated both internally and externally and must be publicly available.

The policy requires the appointment of a management representative who will ensure on a continuous basis that the standards to be achieved by the policy are met. The person who is responsible for this in Uniform Express is David Turner, Commercial Director. David has a system of continuous monitoring to ensure that the monitoring system in fact works and is effective.

The elements of the monitoring process are:

  1. Establish and maintain a procedure to evaluate the suppliers based on the principles set out above.
  2. Keep records of the suppliers' commitment to the social accountability policy of Uniform Express, including the written commitment to conform to all requirements of Uniform Express’ Social Accountability Policy, to participate in the monitoring activities when requested, to address a non-conformance status promptly, and to inform the company of relevant changes in its relationship with suppliers and sub-contractors.
  3. The company will require reasonable evidence that suppliers meet the above requirements.
  4. Checking and Corrective Actions -- If specific requirements of the standard are not met, the company must undertake immediate corrective action and allocate resources to get back on track. The company must investigate any concerns, either from internal or external sources, that point to a non-conformance issue. Any discriminative action against employees that report a non-conformance is strictly prohibited. To ensure that employees can freely address concerns it is advisable to assign a third party to whom employees can report their concern in strict confidence.
  5. Management Review -- A systematic and periodical review of the social management system should ensure that the system required by the Uniform Express Social Accountability Policy is adequate, sustained and effective. This review can be based on internal audits or assessments respectively.
  6. Communication -- The company must establish procedures for third party communication which include access for verification of documents if required by contract. The communication includes the results of reviews, monitoring data, and the performance against the standard. Depending on the size of the company, it is advisable to publish this information regularly and communicate it not only to third parties but also to internal stakeholders.
  7. Records -- To facilitate outside verification and to demonstrate conformance, the company must keep records that demonstrate conformance with the standard.

On-Site Monitoring of Directly Supplied Apparel Products

A core element of the compliance procedure is the carrying out of ‘on-site’ inspections by a senior management representative of Uniform Express.

Where the contractual arrangement with a supplier extends over a period of at least 12 months, two such site visits will take place in each 12-month period. Both visits will be carried out by a senior Uniform Express representative who will directly monitor compliance with the principles set out above and will specifically include site inspection of the manufacturing facility involved. The supplier will be asked to provide a written statement of compliance with these principles.

It is recognised that compliance with all of the principles set out above may not be achievable immediately, but Uniform Express believes that a collaborative approach with our suppliers provides the opportunity for making significant progress in promoting the observation of internationally recognised labour standards. However, the monitoring process includes screening against the statement and any supplier who is in breech will be required to take the appropriate compliance action.


David McPherson
Managing Director
Uniform Express