HUMAN RIGHTS, DIVERSITY and INCLUSION
The United Nations (UN) declaration stated that everyone must have the ability to live in “a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment” a universal human rights. UN also urged countries, businesses, and international organizations to step up efforts to make that a reality. The concerns about human rights have risen globally more than before and this is since climate change is already affecting a large portion of the global population. Business operations have significant impacts on the economy, environment, and people. When companies prioritize profit over everything else, they can exploit workers, violate human rights, and harm the environment. However, businesses that prioritize human rights can benefit society by creating fair-paying jobs, providing safe working conditions, and promoting environmental sustainability. It is crucial for businesses to consider the potential negative impacts of their operations and take steps to mitigate them. By prioritizing human rights, businesses can play a crucial role in creating a more just and equitable society.
In response, BJC constantly stays up-to-date with the global trend and the UN’s declaration of human rights, and set out its commitment accordingly. All along, the company has put its effort in minimizing human rights violations and maintaining a safe, healthy, inclusive, and diverse working environment. A wide range of new engagement activities were initiated, aiming to advocate for employee diversity and inclusion throughout the value chain, protecting the rights of individual employees as well as surrounding communities, and promoting community rights, local traditions, and societal equality of the nation. With its human rights commitment through Human Rights Policy and Diversity and Inclusion Management, and Non-Discrimination Policy, as well as the compliance with law and regulations, BJC’s business operations are involved in creating negative impacts regarding human rights.
Human Rights, Diversity, and Inclusion Management Approach
Human rights have always been one of BJC's top priorities in doing business. The company believes that focusing on protecting human rights and cultivating positive relationships with all stakeholders can ensure the business's long-term growth, particularly as climate change has raised many human rights issues and concerns in society. BJC correspondingly follows the human rights principles and requirements of national and international renowned human rights standards, for instance, The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), The International Labor Organization (ILO) and Thailand’s Labor Protection Act. In addition, in 2023, there was no operation nor suppliers in any country or geographic area, at significant risk for incidents of child labor and forced or compulsory labor.
As stated in the corporate-wide human rights policy and incorporated into BJC’s culture and value, the company is committed to treating employees and other stakeholders fairly, regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. BJC enhanced its human rights commitment further by initiating a corporate-wide whistle blowing system as stated in steps below.
1. Identify clues or complaints about breaches or violations of rule and regulation in relation to Human Rights Policy including human trafficking, forced labor and child labor.
2. Complaints are consolidated and maintained confidentiality.
3. Establish inspection task force to check facts and propose the result to Investigation Committee.
4.
- Consider disciplinary and/or legal penalties if the action is illegal
- Consider appropriate remediation if the violation affects someone
- Identify and assign responsible person for preventing a recurrence and improving operations
5. Report as appropriate
Moreover, BJC continued to prioritize and conduct human rights best practices through new initiatives and activities, promoting its corporate value of 'Happy Workplace,' encouraging all employees to treat others fairly and valuing diversity and inclusion.
Policy Commitment: As stated in BJC's Group-wide Human Rights Policy, BJC places a high value on upholding best human rights practices throughout the value chain, and expects all employees and relevant business partners, including executives, suppliers, joint ventures, and other stakeholders, to comply with all applicable human rights laws, regulations, and standards, as well as international standards, in order to ensure that all stakeholders are equally respected and protected. |
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Labor Union and Collective Bargaining Agreement (Freedom of Association)
Employees can communicate their issues, criticisms, and suggestions through a hotline and meetings, which BJC has made available. Furthermore, in order to promote positive relationships with employees, BJC encourages employees to form and join labor unions, fostering employee freedom of association. There are currently 4 labor unions operating across 4 plants, namely 1. Berli Jucker Foods Labor Union 2. Rubia Thailand Labor Union 3. The Glass Union of Thailand and 4. Fasai Labor Union.
For employees not covered by collective bargaining agreements, BJC determines their working conditions and terms of employment based on collective bargaining agreements. No country or geographic area with BJC’s operations and suppliers considered at risk, regarding labor union and collective bargaining agreement.
Moreover, according to labor law and regulation, all employees are required to participate in the group and have the right to express their ideas. Controlling, monitoring, and encouraging suppliers and subcontractors to observe human rights norms and guidelines in line with BJC's operation are all part of this.
Human Right Due Diligence
Regarding the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), The Human Resource Department conducts Human Rights Due Diligence every three years, and it analytically evaluates potential human rights risks associated with BJC business activities throughout the value chain. BJC’s human rights due diligence process includes;
BJC conducts human rights due diligence every 3 years which is the 3-year basis set as a minimum standard for the company’s practice. Moreover, each year, to address the importance of human rights beyond normal practice, BJC conducted human rights survey online, amongst its employees, aiming to find a gap for improvement in human resource management and employee engagement, as well as to prevent future human rights issues. The result had been analyzed, summarized and reported to the top management. The Human Resource Department, with a support from Sustainability and Risk Management Department then developed and organized human rights training for managers, as well as human rights course for all employees. The analyzed survey result and recommendations were integrated into the training and the course accordingly.
Potential human rights issues covered in the human rights due diligence include forced labor, human trafficking, child labor, freedom of association, right to collective bargaining, equal remuneration, dicrimination and employee hygiene and safety.
Monitoring and Communication
BJC implements the corporate-wide procedure to monitor human rights risks throughout the value chain. The procedure provides a clear process of managing human rights complaints from start to finish as follows;
1. Complaints received via whistle blowing channels;
1.1 Big C Whistle Blowing
- Direct call to investication team 24 hours
- Call center 1756 during 08.00 - 22.00 hrs.
- Big C website
- QR code
1.2 BJC Whistle Blowing
- Direct call 023671401
- e-mail: comsec@bjc.co.th
- Post to HR or company secretary
- BJC website
2. The information will be kept confidential.
3. Investigation committee is set up to investigate.
4. Punishment approval
5. Report as appropriate
Remediation and Grievance Mechanism
BJC has established a process of receiving complaints, correcting actions, providing justice, punishing the perpetrators and compensating the victims appropriately. If there is a case relating to human rights occurs, the responsible departments will report the issues to human resources management. Following this process, the investigation will take place to navigate the roots of the problems. The committee for investigation will also be appointed to Establish a Commission of Inquiry to consider and convict those who commit crimes in accordance with the company's requirements and/or consider legal action in case of wrongdoing in violation of the law, as well as to consider remedies for those affected appropriately.
In terms of compensation, in addition to providing justice to all parties, BJC also focuses on treating those who have been subjected to human rights abuses in both monetary and non-monetary ways. With a compliance with the law, BJC place importance on rehabilitation and care for both physical and mental health conditions, as well as putting great emphasis on preventive planning so that the case does not happen again. The compensation can be categorized as follows:
1. Monetary Compensation:
- Claims for physical and mental recovery: the cost of maintaining and recovering the physical and mental health of those affected.
- Socioeconomic claims: expenses for material damages and opportunity costs.
2. Non-monetary Compensation:
- The rehabilitation of physical and mental health: in addition to monetary compensation, other actions may be required for recovery.
- Satisfaction is our focus to strengthen the relationships between the company and those who are affected. This may include expressing regrets and apologies in public and private, along with long-term care.
- The prevention of recurrence is ensured for those who are affected and stakeholders. This is to prevent a repetition in the future.
Types of Remediation Actions
BJC has identified the following types of remediation actions;
1. Immediate remediation actions refer to the remediation actions that must be executed immdediately when an incident occurs.
2. Remediation actions related to BJC's policy, law and regulations refer to the steps or process of remediation actions, stated in the company's policy, law or regulations.
3. Long-term remediation actions refer to longer-term of remediation actions taken place in a period of time such as rehabilitation.
Human Rights, Diversity, and Inclusion Training
In order to raise human rights’ awareness and equally respect to all level of staff in the organization, BJC has set up Human Rights Training for all employees through online HR application. Furthermore, post-test are provided to evaluate the effectiveness of the training session. The post-test also include an opportunity for employees to provide additional suggestions for future session improvements. To ensure corporate wide awareness and understanding against violations against human rights, BJC is committed to continuously improve the knowledge and understanding of employees in the human rights to be more effective.
1. BJC Human Rights Training
BJC’s dedication to fostering human rights awareness and respect throughout the organization remains unwavering. Leveraging the successes of prior iterations, the
2023 human rights training program employed innovative online platforms and the HR mobile application to deliver comprehensive training to employees. The training curricula encompassed BJC’s Human Rights Policy, Supplier Code of Conduct, and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP). Key topics addressed included the identification and mitigation of human rights violations, the Human Rights Due Diligence Process (HRDD), and the established whistle-blowing procedures for reporting concerns. As a fundamental element of onboarding, all new recruits are mandatorily enrolled in online discrimination and harassment training alongside their human rights training. Additionally, to ensure sustained knowledge and application, regular on-site training sessions are conducted every three years for 100% of employees and security personnel.
2. Human Rights, Diversity and Inclusion Training for Factories
To promote human rights, diversity and inclusion at workplace, beside the trainings at the headquarter only, BJC had gone beyond by organizing training sessions at its factories. All participants were encouraged to have a 2-way communication or an open discussion at the training sessions. BJC’s Sustainability and Risk Management Department arranges an onsite sustainability training at Thai Beverage Can Limited in Saraburi province, Rubia Industries Limited in Samut Prakan province, Thai-Scandic Steel Company Limited in Rayong province, Thai Malaya Glass Company Limited in Saraburi province and Berli Jucker Cellox Company Limited in Prachin Buri Province. The training highlighted critical sustainability topics which also included human rights, diversity and inclusion and the main content covered as follows;
- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
- Updated Whistle - blowing Process
- Corporate-wide Human Rights Policy and Code of Conduct
- Human Rights for Key Stakeholders
- Risks from Human Rights, Diversity and Inclusion
- Current Issues and Case Studies on Diversity and Inclusion
After each training, the related issues and questions from each factory were discussed and recommendations were given.
3. Human Rights & Diversity Training for HR Personnel
BJC believes diversity recruiting is an important step toward creating an inclusive workplace that is reflective of the customers it serves, and best prepared to compete in a changing economy and marketplace. The training on human rights and diversity for HR Personnel has been conducted virtually, as an interactive sharing session where the HR personnel of BJC and its subsidiaries could share and discuss their related cases. The ground knowledge and global trends on human rights and diversity, especially for recruitment process has been provided by Sustainability & Risk Management Department.
4. Human Rights Training for Big C Store Staffs
Amidst growing public awareness and heightened customer expectations regarding human rights, BJC acknowledges the evolving concerns of Big C customers regarding their rights. Consequently, the company has intensified its commitment to upholding human rights, particularly in the realm of customer service. Human rights training sessions are conducted across Big C stores nationwide, targeting key personnel at the management level, specifically the Big C store general manager position. These sessions aimed to foster a shared understanding of expected behavioral standards among employees concerning “Human Rights and Customer Service”. It was expected that each store general manager, once well-versed in these standards, would serve as a key role model, setting examples for everyone in the workplace and helping to prevent any future breach cases. These sessions addressed human rights risks associated with customer interactions, including aspects related to health and safety, equity, and data privacy. Real-world business case studies and facilitated discussions further solidified these crucial learnings. This proactive approach ensures that Big C staff are empowered to uphold human rights while delivering an unparalleled customer experience.
Diversity and Inclusion Highlight Projects
1. DiverCity Project
In 2022 BJC initiated DiverCity Project, with a tagline DiverCity – A Community for All. The project was initiated to promote the company’s corporate-wide Diversity and Non-discrimination Management Policy and to encourage all employees and stakeholders to experience true diversity, where there was no discrimination regarding differences in age, gender, religion, race, nationality, disability, or marital status. A variety of related engagement activities were planed and organized throughout the year, which targeted to continue from year 2022 onwards.
1.1 DiverCity Day
To celebrate Pride Month, in June every year BJC organizes DiverCity Day, consisting of activities to promote gender diversity at workplace, which included;
1.2 Book for the Blind
Book for the Blind BJC Glass (TGI) championed inclusive education with its impactful “Book for the Blind” initiative. Demonstrating a commitment to social responsibility and diversity, the project addressed an importance needs within the visually impaired community. BJC Glass created digital Braille files for three essential textbooks, subsequently donated to the Center for Educational Technology for the Blind. This initiative empowered over 250 people with visual disabilities by granting them equal access to learning materials and fostering their academic potential. The “Book for the Blind” project exemplifies BJC Glass’s dedication to creating a more equitable and inclusive society, where education serves as a cornerstone for all.
1.3 Sanook Kids Big Day
Going beyond the corporate-wide CSR strategy in supporting education, BJC realizes the inclusion of children with disabilities that they also have the right to access necessary knowledge to improve their competencies, as well as the right to have proper education and well-being. The event “Sanook Kids Big Day” is organized at Big C store, aiming to provide an opportunity for children with disabilities to explore their interests and experience future career path.
1.4 Other Activities
Other activities were organized to promote diversity and inclusion included online awareness building, online quizzes and diversity movies. Moreover, BJC encouraged all genders and generations to participate in games and competitions such as BESICO model competition, costume competition and pageant competition.