189When brands and retailers responded to consumer
pressure by publishing their codes of conduct, campaigners
told them they needed independent evidence that these
codes were observed in their supply chains. Thus was born
the social audit, an inspection of working conditions in
factories. Tens of thousands of audits are now performed
every year.
A typical audit will involve three things:
- Document review: looks at wage sheets, timekeeping,
personnel records, etc. - Site inspection: walking through a factory to check for
health and safety problems and to observe the workers
at work. - Interviews: usually this includes interviews with
managers, supervisors and workers.
Some audits are better than others. Most audits take
just a few hours, while some take several days. There are
important distinctions between audits where warning
is given and those that are unannounced. Better audits
place a strong emphasis on worker interviews conducted
off-site and by someone who has the workers’ trust (a
local person of the same gender with experience of
interviewing). Respected local NGOs and trade unions will
be involved in the audit process.
In fear of losing their contracts, some suppliers hide
anything that might mean they fail the audit. They may keep
two sets of records of wages and hours worked - one
which shows the real information and one to show the
auditors. The factory is tidied up and prepared in advance
so that it meets health and safety criteria. Under age
workers are given the day off. Home-based workers are
often totally passed over in the audit: out of sight, out of
mind. Workers may be coached and intimidated to ensure
that they say the right thing. One factory manager in north
India admitted, “We hold meetings with the workers, train
them, before the audit. We tell them what may be asked and
what should be answered”.However they are conducted, the evidence shows that
audits are not the solution that many companies treat
them as. Whilst improvements to visible, easy wins such as
health and safety may be made, the difficult issues such as
harassment, discrimination and trade union freedom are
left unaddressed. Social audits can be valuable, if they are
conducted in a credible way. But audits remain only one
small part of ensuring workers’ rights are respected.Summary taken from http://www.cleanupfashion.co.uk by Labour
Behind the Label.social audits
IntEractIVE actIVItIEs