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Recently, the relevant departments of the Ministry of Commerce, the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles, the China Enterprise Confederation, the All-China Federation of Trade Unions and the SA8000 development organization SAI attended the "Corporate Social Responsibility and SA8000" symposium hosted by the China Labor Security Newspaper.
SAI is a multilateral civil society supported by the US government. It aims to protect the environment and protect labor rights. SA8000 is the core of its philosophy. Leading by the agency, a number of large multinational companies, trade unions, independent research institutions and other forms of participation, the SA8000 independent system has been fixed. Therefore, SA8000 is not a means of trade between countries formulated and intervened by the government. It is merely a public resource system aimed at encouraging labor protection and improving production conditions.
Why should I pass the SA8000 certification system?
Although the SA8000 system does not have the effect of administrative enforcement, it has passed the SA8000 certification system, and it has a subtle relationship with whether it can receive large quantities of orders. China's textile and garment industry is a labor-intensive industry. European and American buyers are also very optimistic about this. However, more and more foreign buyers with certain scale and social responsibility (such as JC Peeny, Walmart, etc.) are concerned about cost and quality. At the same time as the delivery time, in order to improve the reputation and development of the company, it has to control its supply chain, which is mainly to check whether the supplier complies with the local labor law. The starting point is not to protect the rights of workers, but to control their business risks.
Since SA8000 is a third-party certification, it has a relatively open and fair effect, so it is easier for companies with certification to win the trust of foreign buyers. At the same time, new buyers entering the Chinese market are more willing to accept third-party certification because they are not familiar with local laws. This is also the reason why SA8000 has caused great repercussions in domestic enterprises after entering China.
The difference between SA8000 certification and China's labor law
The contents of SA8000 include the following main aspects: no child labor is allowed (in accordance with Chinese law, children under the age of 16 may not be employed); non-mandatory labor (including the seizure of ID cards, wages, etc. forced workers to involuntary labor); Health (Chinese law is more detailed here, so SA8000 coincides with this); there is freedom of association and independent negotiation (guaranteeing the freedom of workers to express their will as interest groups); non-discrimination (using technology as a judge for workers) Code, must not discriminate against politics, religion, race, age, etc.); eliminate disciplinary measures (this aspect is strictly in accordance with our laws, does not allow any fines or compensation for damages).
In general, the SA8000 is based on the local labor law and is a bottom line, but it does not comply with the labor law and meets the SA8000 standard. There is no necessary connection between the two. The labor law is legally effective and can be pursued for the responsible party; SA8000 is a way to improve the management of the company at a certain level as a technical standard.
SA8000 impact and certification
From the current point of view, there are only 49 companies that have passed SA8000 certification in China. If only from this figure, the impact is small. But this certification has been linked to trade barriers. Although the intention of SA8000 is to balance the contradictions between employers and employees, the social standards promoted in accordance with the principle of voluntariness, but in international trade has become a mandatory standard.
Compared with many international certifications and codes of conduct for multinational corporations, SA8000 is multilateral and relatively fair. SA8000 has nine certification lines in the world. There are 8 certifications in China. The charging standards are based on ISO9000 in principle. The calculation is based on the number of employees. The cost is basically 500-700 US dollars/person. If the cost of rectification for this enterprise is included, it will greatly increase the cost of the enterprise. Therefore, companies must also consider carefully while making decisions.
At present, the relevant departments of China have begun to actively respond to the SA8000 industry standard. The industrial industry sector has begun to formulate localized industry standards in China, and strive to maintain the balanced development of foreign trade and export trade barriers as trade channels.
