42 FGV HOLDINGS BERHAD RESPECTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND UPHOLDING GOOD SOCIAL PRACTICES FGV met its target of completing the registration of all previously undocumented workers in Sabah by the end of December 2019. Adoption of Social Compliance and Human Rights (SCHR) Action Plan As part of FGV’s ongoing collaboration with the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM), FGV adopted a Social Compliance and Human Rights (SCHR) Action Plan in 2017 to address and resolve the social compliance and human rights issues of our migrant workers in six areas: Forced labour Employment contracts Minimum wage Policy commitment Housing Passport safety boxes Our collaboration with SUHAKAM and adoption of the SCHR Action Plan bolstered human rights and sustainability practices within the Group. We were able to establish Group Guidelines and Procedures for the Responsible Recruitment of Foreign Workers and embedded a Human Rights Policy and internal grievance mechanisms in our revised GSP. This was to ensure human rights and social compliance are fully observed and practised across the Group’s operations. FGV will continue its cooperation with SUHAKAM, as the national human rights institution, to carry out audits and verification of the working and living conditions of its workers at its mills and plantations. Guidelines and Procedures for the Responsible Recruitment of Foreign Workers As a responsible plantation organisation, FGV strives to be ethical and responsible in its recruitment of migrant workers by observing human rights principles and standards. We strive to ensure that the rights of our employees, including migrant workers, are always respected and fulfilled. Recognising the vulnerability of migrant workers falling victim to exploitation during the recruitment process, we have taken steps to protect the rights of our migrant workers through the adoption of the Guidelines and Procedures for the Responsible Recruitment of Foreign Workers in June 2019. This document, which is published on our website, provides guidelines for the responsible and ethical recruitment of migrant workers throughout our recruitment process, from pre-employment to employment and post-employment. To further ensure workers’ rights are respected, we have added the following measures: ETHICAL AND RESPONSIBLE RECRUITMENT OF MIGRANT WORKERS • Revised contracts with recruitment agencies – FGV has amended its contracts with recruitment agencies to ensure that migrant workers are not charged any fees throughout the recruitment process to limit the risk of debt bondage. • Development of a Communication Pack – FGV has developed a Communication Pack to guide staff so that they understand better the content of their employment contracts which have been translated into their native languages. • Revised and translated employment contracts – FGV has reviewed its employment contracts with migrant workers to address the concerns raised by RSPO’s Complaints Panel. Our revised employment contracts have been translated into five languages: English, Indonesian, Bengali, Tamil and Hindi. • One-stop centres for recruitment – FGV has established one-stop centres where workers undergo orientation programmes, briefings and training. These are in Gemencheh, Negeri Sembilan and Lombok, Indonesia as well as in Chennai and Kolkatta in India. The Group is exploring the possibility of setting up centres in other labour-source countries.
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