Ethical Sourcing Policy in Full
HOT FUTURES ETHICAL SOURCING POLICY
All our suppliers, manufacturers and sub-contractors (“Supply Partners”) at all tiers of Hot Future’s supply chain shall comply with all laws applicable to their business.
All our Supply Partners are expected to adhere to the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, UN Declaration of Human Rights as well as the 1998 International Labour Organization’s “Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work” (“ILO”) in accordance with national law and practice.
Hot Futures Limited, including all group companies and subsidiaries, is committed to trading relationships which are both commercially and ethically viable. We will support fair trade and only operate with suppliers, manufacturers and sub-contractors who comply with our ethical trading policy. We will appraise these suppliers against the following standards.
This policy sets out the minimum labour standards that we expect our suppliers to comply with:
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There is no forced labour
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Child labour is not used
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No racial or sexual discrimination is practiced
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Working hours comply with local national standards
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Wages meet the minimum local standards
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Human and civil rights are respected
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Bribery either to customers or from suppliers is not acceptable
Forced, bonded or involuntary labour
Any form of work or service that is extracted from any person under the threat of a penalty or where they have not entered voluntarily into an employment contract is prohibited. Examples include slave or indentured labour, bonded labour, involuntary labour, involuntary or unpaid prison labour. Workers should not be required to lodge “deposit” or their identity papers with their employer and are free to leave their employer after reasonable notice.
Working Conditions
A safe and hygienic working environment shall be provided for their workers, bearing in mind the prevailing knowledge of the industry and of any specific hazards.
Adequate steps shall be taken to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, associated with, or occurring in the course of work,by minimising, so far as is reasonably practicable, the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment.
Workers shall receive regular and recorded health and safety training, and such training shall be repeated for new or reassigned workers.
Access to clean toilet facilities and to potable water, and, if appropriate, sanitary facilities for food storage shall be provided.
Accommodation, where provided, shall be clean, safe, and meet the basic needs of the workers.
The company observing the code shall assign responsibility for health and safety to a senior management representative.
Child labour
Hot Futures will not tolerate any recruitment of child labour by any of our Supply Partners.
Suppliers shall develop or participate in and contribute to policies and programmes which provide for the transition of any child found to be performing child labour to enable her or him to attend and remain in quality education until no longer a child; “child” being defined as very boy and girl under the age of 18 and “child labour” being defined as work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.
Children and young persons under 18 shall not be employed at night or in hazardous conditions.
These policies and procedures shall conform to the provisions of the relevant ILO standards.
Discrimination
Suppliers shall not discriminate against workers/prospective workers.
To discriminate means, to treat a worker/prospective worker less favourably than any other worker/prospective worker in relation to hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement on the grounds of their race, caste, national origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union membership, political affiliation or age.
Working Hours
Suppliers shall ensure compliance in respect of working hours with national laws, any collective bargaining agreements and benchmark industry standards, whichever affords greater protection. As part of this commitment, workers should not be required to work more than 48 hours per week (or less in accordance with local/national laws); should not work more than 12 hours of voluntary overtime; and should get one day off in 7.
Overtime should not be demanded on a regular basis, should be voluntary and should always be compensated at a premium rate. Where the company is partly to a collective bargaining agreement freely negotiated with worker organizations it may require overtime work in accordance with the agreement to meet short term demand.
Remuneration
Suppliers shall ensure that their workers are paid at least the national/local minimum wage for a basic working week and this should be sufficient to cover basic needs and allow some discretionary income.
As part of this commitment, all workers should be provided with written and understandable information about their pay before they start employment and should be given a pay slip or other understandable information about their wages for the pay period concerned each time that they are paid.
Collective Bargaining
Suppliers must allow workers to freely join a trade union of their choice and to bargain collectively on wages, benefits and working conditions without fear of harassment or intimidation. Workers’ representatives shall therefore not be discriminated against and have access to carry out their representative functions in the workplace.
Where the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining is restricted under law, the employer must facilitate, and must not hinder, the development of parallel means for independent and free association and bargaining.
Unacceptable disciplinary practices such as those based on corporal punishment, physical or mental coercion, verbal abuse or deducting money from wages due to a worker will not be tolerated in any form. Workers will be free from abuse, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation shall not allowed.
Bribery
Suppliers must conduct their businesses in an ethical manner and must not seek to gain competitive advantage by means of unethical or dishonest practices including without limitation; bribery, corruption, kickbacks, the provision of gifts, favours or services.