LEAD STORY
US bans import of rubber gloves made by WRP in Malaysia over forced labour allegations
- US Customs & Border Protection says it has reviewed information indicating rubber gloves made by WRP in Malaysia were produced in part or in whole using forced labour
- See blog by worker rights expert Andy Hall on the implications of this ban, conditions for migrant workers in the sector & how the EU could follow suit
- An investigation in late 2018 alleged migrant workers making rubber gloves in Malaysia, including for WRP, were subjected to forced labour, withheld wages & passport confiscation
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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FROM US
New briefing: Silencing the Critics - How big polluters try to paralyse environmental & human rights advocacy through the courts
- We highlight why Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) matter for investors, as well as key questions to ask portfolio companies to avoid risk
- See also our op-ed on the briefing in Responsible Investor
Latest Corporate Legal Accountability Quarterly Update: The Lengthy Journey towards a Treaty on Business & Human Rights
- Includes an analysis of the Revised Treaty on Business & Human Rights, new & updated case profiles, and latest expert articles on corporate legal accountability
- Also available in French, German and Spanish
Guest blog: The US is taking action on forced labour in Malaysia's rubber glove industry. Will the EU follow suit?
Andy Hall, Migrant Worker Rights Specialist
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INTERNATIONAL
NGOs send formal notice to XPO Logistics Europe & EDF Group to comply with French human rights due diligence law
Proyecto de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales; XPO Global Union Family; International Transport Workers' Federation & European Transport Workers’ Federation
- Law requires companies to prepare a Duty of Vigilance plan that identifies human rights risks in their global operations & provide measures to mitigate abuses
- Mexican indigenous & human rights groups, and the ECCHR, allege EDF's plan does not identify or address the human rights risks & abuses linked to its wind power project in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec
- Worker federations & an alliance of unions allege transport & logistics company XPO Logistics has failed to meet the five mandatory requirements of the law
Social audit industry criticised for protecting brands' reputations while failing to protect garment worker safety or improve working conditions
Clean Clothes Campaign
- Report details alleged auditing failures, including the deadly 2012 Ali Enterprises factory fire in Pakistan & the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh
- We invited ALGI, ELEVATE and RINA to respond; responses provided
- We invited Bureau Veritas, SGS, TÜV Rheinland and UL to respond; they did not
22 CSOs urge signatories of Principles for Responsible Banking to end financing for fossil fuel expansion & activities driving deforestation & human rights abuses
International Inclusive Development & 21 other CSOs
- 130 banks have signed the principles, making a public commitment to align their financing with the Sustainable Development Goals & the Paris Agreement
- CSOs welcome the principles, but highlight that these do not align banks' financing to the UNGPs or make their human rights responsibilities explicit
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AMERICAS
USA: House of Representatives votes to ban use of forced arbitration in employment discrimination cases
Huffington Post; American Civil Liberties
- Under forced arbitration clauses, employees cannot take their employers to court but must instead go through arbitration, which studies show favours employers
Colombia: Highest court rules fracking pilot projects can go ahead, despite moratorium
PBI Canada
- According to poll, 90% of citizens oppose fracking in the country; environmentalists cite concerns over impacts on biodiversity & water supplies
USA: 49,000 General Motors workers strike over failed negotiations on wages, health insurance & prevention of plant closures
Detroit Free Press; Bloomberg; Guardian (UK); Thomson Reuters Foundation; CBS News
- Story includes comments from General Motors
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ASIA & PACIFIC
Indonesia: Bali residents allege PT General Energy Bali's coal-fired power plant has damaged their health, environment & jeopardised livelihoods
China Dialogue
- We invited China Huadian Engineering, which owns the majority of shares in PT General Energy Bali, to respond; response provided
Australia: Govt. publishes guidance for companies reporting under 2018 Modern Slavery Act
Modern Slavery Business Engagement Unit, Australian Govt.
China: Financial technology companies Alibaba & Tencent refuse to give govt. data on their customers' loans, to be used in govt.-backed credit-scoring programme
Financial Times
Mauritius: Migrant workers stranded after factory supplying ASOS & John Lewis closes; We invited ASOS & John Lewis to provide update
ASOS; Supply Chain Dive; Dhaka Tribune
- ASOS says it has not seen the progress hoped for since its initial engagement with local partners, govt. & liquidators of the factory to provide remedial action; 19 workers were repatriated without being paid owed wages
- Other workers have been redeployed into other businesses while they await payment of owed wages; ASOS is following up on the remainder
- John Lewis did not provide an update
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EVENTS
- Expert Meeting: Corporate Human Rights Violations and Reputational Damage (2 Oct, Utrecht)
- Introduction to Living Wage Workshop (8 Oct, Melbourne)
- Global Goals Forum Workshop 2 - Mandatory and voluntary approaches to CSR: How can we achieve a “Smart Mix“? (10 Oct, Berlin)
- UN Working Group consultation on the role of national human rights institutions in access to remedy (10-11 Oct, Geneva)
- Introduction to Living Wage Workshop (12 Nov, Berkeley)
- Turning Down the Heat: Can We Mine Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis? (14-15 Nov, Ottawa)
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JOBS
Vacancies at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre:
Other vacancies:
Further details & other recently posted jobs available here. To submit a new job announcement in business & human rights please go here. |
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