General Managers are obligated to strictly adhere to legal practices and to supervise the subsidiary accordingly. Also, they are responsible for taking preventive action and training. Human rights reviews are included in the annual Compliance Confirmation letters filled in and signed by the General Managers, the internal audit program and the legal audits which are performed regularly in subsidiaries. Around a total of 30 audits (internal and legal audits) are performed annually, corresponding to around 20% of Sika’s subsidiaries.
As part of the new Compliance Checklist 2018, General Managers are asked to implement and communicate in their companies the following Human Rights principles:
- non-discrimination (including sexual harassment)
- child labor is strictly prohibited
- freedom of association (without need of prior approval) – unless prohibited by local laws
- forced labor
This checklist provides also specific explanations about the above Human Rights:
- Discrimination: is the act and result of treating people unequally by imposing unequal burdens or denying benefits rather than treating each person fairly on the basis of individual merit.
- Child: refers to any person under the age of 15 years or under the age of completion of compulsory schooling (whichever is higher).
As mentioned above, Sika has gained confidence through the verification by the management teams and the Compliance Confirmation letters that all companies adhere to the human rights charter as set out in the Code of Conduct and no violations or incidents have been reported.