24/06/2013

Business news : Canadian Pension Funds, Institutional Investors Endorse Bangladesh Safety Accord

Canadian institutions, collectively representing more than $44 Billion assets under management, released a joint statement in support of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and timely and effective action to ensure respect for the fundamental human rights of workers in the supply chains of the companies in which they invest, including health and safety, freedom of association and a living wage.

The statement is signed by six pension funds, but not Ontario Teachers’s Pension Plan, which has been a significant investor in sporting goods companies through Teacher Private Capital. The private equity firm has invested in Easton-Bell Sports and acquired Plano Molding Company and Hansen in 2012.
The text of the letter follows below:


Canadian Investor Statement on Bangladesh
June 17, 2013
The tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh, which killed more than 1,100 garment workers and injured thousands more, has brought international attention to the failure of governments and industry to ensure the safety of workers in that country’s garment industry. The Rana Plaza incident is the latest in a long series of fatal factory disasters over the past eight years. Yet, until now little progress has been made in eliminating the serious health and safety risks faced by Bangladeshi workers.
Bangladesh is the second largest source of apparel imports into Canada, after China. Our country’s imports from Bangladesh have almost doubled in the last five years. As Canadian investors and shareholder organizations representing a combined assets under management of $44 billion, we urge apparel brands, retailers and manufacturers to take immediate steps to prevent further tragedies.
Apparel brands, retailers and manufacturers have an important role to play by adopting responsible sourcing practices in global supply chains, including performing human rights due diligence, negotiating commercial terms with suppliers sufficient to provide for safe, healthy workplaces and a living wage, establishing robust oversight of their suppliers, and disclosing information on supply chain practices and outcomes. The Rana Plaza disaster and the worldwide reaction that followed amply illustrates not only the importance of adhering to international standards that safeguard the lives and human rights of workers throughout a company’s supply chain, but also the considerable reputational, operational and legal risks to companies that fail to address these issues.
Companies can and should establish their own internal policies and practices to ensure respect for the fundamental human rights of workers in their supply chains, including health and safety, freedom of association and collective bargaining, and a living wage. However in certain cases, such as we have seen in Bangladesh, collective action is needed. Change will only occur when companies take action together.
Following the Rana Plaza disaster, a large number of global brands and retailers, including one Canadian retailer, signed a binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. The Accord sets out a program of independent and transparent inspections, an informed and active role for workers and trade unions, health and safety training for workers and management personnel, effective health and safety committees, and the right of workers to file complaints and to refuse unsafe work. It is backed by time-bound remediation plans, effective dispute resolution procedures, and consequences for those that do not comply. The International Labour Organization is supporting the agreement and will play a role in its implementation, and it has been endorsed by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. There is no other credible alternative to this agreement.
We urge all apparel brands, retailers and manufacturers that source from Bangladesh to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and participate fully in its implementation.
As investors, we recognize our responsibility to promote positive change with the companies in our portfolios and to encourage them to put respect for human rights at the core of their business models. We will engage with the companies in our portfolios so that together we can help to prevent further tragedies.

Source SportsOneSource

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