LABOUR STANDARTS POLICY

1. Introduction

Global Health and Safety Ltd (“the Company”) is fully aware of the responsibility it bears toward its customers, employees and environment. As such we have given ourselves a strict set of ethical values to guide us in our business. We take social and environmental factors into consideration alongside economic factors in all our business actions.

Human rights and wellbeing of employees have a significant impact to our aim of labour standards.

The Global Health & Safety is of the belief that this not only makes commercial sense, it also has the potential to improve the living and working standards of people around the world.

This policy sets out the detailed requirements and minimum expectations of our labour standards policy. This policy addresses the expectation that our staff and suppliers have an innate respect for our ethical standards and that relationships with our suppliers are based on the principle of fair and honest dealings at all times. The principle of fair and honest dealings is extended to all others with whom we do business, including employees, sub contractors and other third parties and their local communities.

2. Objectives

2.1 Work Environment 

The Global Health & Safety labour standards objective is to ensure that people working at GHS, treated with respect and have the following rights with regard to their employment.

2.2 Sustainability 

The Global Health & Safety sustainability objective is to ensure a continued acceptance of the need for all decisions to be made on delivering ethical trading.

3. Commitments 

3.1 Legal Compliance 

We comply with all laws applicable to our business. We support the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as the 1998 International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, in accordance with national law and practice.

3.2 Right to a Living Wage 

We comply with the respective national laws and regulations regarding working hours, wages and benefits. Wages should not be paid in kind and should be enough to meet the basic needs of the workers. All workers should be provided with written and comprehendible information about their employment conditions in respect to wages before they start employment. Deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure should not be permitted. Deductions from wages covered under national law should only be allowed with the agreed permission of the worker concerned. Any disputes regarding wages should be recorded.

3.3 Environmental Responsibility 

We consider our impact on the environment and have a responsible attitude towards environmental issues and to strive towards improving our impact on global pollution.

3.4 Employment 

We do not use forced, bonded or involuntary prison labour. All employees have the right to join or form trade unions of their own choosing and, where a significant proportion of the workforce agree, to bargain collectively. Employees’ representatives are not discriminated against and have access to carry out their representative functions in the workplace.

3.5 Working Hours 

Our working hours comply with national laws and national industry standards. Our employees are not required to work in excess of 48 hours per week in a regular basis and are provided with at least one day off for every 7-day period on average. We do not request overtime in a regular basis and it is voluntary for all employees. We do not exceed 12 hours a week in overtime.

3.6 Elimination of Child Labour 

We do not employ children under the age of 16. If national laws or regulations allow children over the ages of 16 to perform light work as apprenticeship, such work is not endorsed under any situation if it would hinder a child from completing compulsory schooling or if the employment would be harmful to their health or development. Children and young persons under 18 will not be employed at night or in hazardous conditions.

At any circumstances, in any of our industrial and trading dealings, any child labour that leads to prostitution, drug trafficking, procurement of children for illicit activity, forced and bonded labour and armed conflict is prohibited.

3.7 Provision of Regular Employment 

We meet our obligations to our employees under labour or social security laws and regulations arising from the regular employment relationship should not be avoided. We avoid where possible, labour-only contracting, fixed-term contracts, sub-contracting, or apprenticeship schemes where there is no real intent to impart skills or provide regular employment.

3.8 Elimination of Discrimination 

We value equality and there should be no grounds to discriminate when hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, union membership or political affiliation.

3.9 Worker ill-treatment 

3.10 We do not use physical abuse or other harassment or verbal abuse with our workers.

3.11 Anti-Bribery

In all of our business and trading dealings; bribes will not be accepted or offered, under any circumstances, or for any reason. Global Health & Safety recognises that bribery is a criminal offence in the UK and shall comply with the Bribery Act 2010, no matter where in the world the act of bribery takes place. Any acts of bribery by those working for The Global Health & Safety, or on our behalf may result in a prosecution in the UK.

3.12 Modern Slavery

Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.

As a small business we are not legally required to publish any statement, that being said we have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships and to implement and enforce effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our own business or our supply chain.

We are also committed to ensuring there is transparency in our own business and in our approach to tackling modern slavery throughout our supply chain. We expect the same high standards from all of our contractors, suppliers and other business partners. This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, seconded workers, volunteers, agents, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives and business partners.

4. Sustainable Procurement

4.1 Monitoring and measuring

We will ensure we meet the labour standards set out in this document.

4.2 Working in partnership

The Global Health & Safety will seek out suppliers that share our commitment to high labour standards. We will offer assistance to our suppliers in raising their ability to meet their social accountability targets. We will develop partnerships with our suppliers and work together to minimise the social impacts of our supply chain.

4.3 Procurement process

The Global Health & Safety will attempt to influence and encourage suppliers in order to create a more reliable marketplace for ethically produced products. Social factors are and will continue to be considered a key part of the purchasing process. Specifically this includes considering where the product is made, by whom and whether the organisation complies with local laws and regulations.

5. Safe and Healthy Working Conditions

We are committed to provide a safe and healthy working environment which is regulated to international standards and the prevailing knowledge of the industry. We take preventative action to prevent accidents, injury to health and minimise the causes of hazards inherent in the working practice and environment.

We provide workers with suitable and sufficient health and safety training so they are fully aware of the hazards associated with the work environment and the correct practices required to minimise the risks.

We provide suitable and adequate welfare facilities including toilet facilities, drinking water and food storage where required. We expect our suppliers to assign a senior management representative responsible for health and safety.

6. Best Practice Principles

6.1 Making a difference

We focus attention on those parts of the supply chain where the risk of not meeting these requirements is highest and where the maximum difference can be made. Our suppliers should be prepared to demonstrate the basis of their approach with regard to the above.

6.2 Awareness raising and training

We currently ensure that all necessary people are provided with appropriate training, coaching, mentoring and guidelines to implement the requirements of this policy.

6.3 Working together, communication and improvements

We will work towards implementing and improving this policy. Our aim is to continue to improve every aspect of our all business dealings. We are committed to communicate our labour standards policy to our employees, business partners and public.

This labour standards policy is a part of our contractual requirements with suppliers and sub contractors. During contract renewals, supplier and sub-contractor commitment to this policy will be assessed.

6.4 Independent verification

We recognise that the implementation of this policy may at times be assessed through independent verification. We will provide reasonable access to all relevant information, premises, and workers and co-operate in any assessment against our policy.

7. Responsibility of Implementation 

Responsibility for the achievement of this policy and our objectives rests with the Management Team comprising of the Managing Director and the Quality Control Manager.

The Quality Control Manager is responsible for reviewing the policy and ensuring that it is kept up to date with changes in legislation. The Quality Control Manager is also responsible for providing relevant reports to the board on suppliers who are failing to meet set ethical and social targets.

8. Whistleblowing

Our responsibility as an ethical and compliant company is to recognise the importance of staff raising safeguarding issues or other such concerns which are in the public interest commonly referred to as whistleblowing. Whistleblowing is the act of reporting concerns about malpractice, wrongdoing or fraud and is something we take extremely serious at Global Health & Safety. When raising issues these should be shared with the appointed person at the company, this could be your immediate manager or a person of more seniority. At Global Health & Safety the person in overall charge of allegations of malpractice, wrongdoing or fraud is Gamze Guney, Managing Director.

We expect our suppliers to offer their workers an appointed person to contact in the event of whistleblowing.

The following guidelines are available to all employees when raising concerns: • Identify the following code/guidance/policy or protocol you believe is being compromised. • Be specific about the issues you are worried about and focus on the facts.

9. Grievance Procedures

We will handle all grievances as per code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures of ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) dated 2015

10. Evidence of Compliance

10.1 External Monitoring

We will obtain and commit to third party certification against a nationally or internationally recognised standard, such as the NHS Supply Chain Labour Standards Assurance Systems (LSAS).

10.2 Internal Monitoring

We will carry out regular monitoring of the implementation of ethical standards to enable us to ensure that ethical and social factors are considered in all our business dealings.

We will publish an annual Labour Standards Report that cover key working conditions and comply with relevant national and international legislation which must include following but not limited to;

9.3 Violations

Any employee violating part or whole of this policy will be subject to disciplinary action reflecting the severity of misconduct, in forms of demotion, suspension or dismissal.

Any other persons in business relationship with GHS (subcontractors, suppliers and like) are expected to comply with this policy and violation may result cessation of business relation or conduct.

11. Targets

To demonstrate compliance with this policy standard and objectives, Global Health & Safety will introduce and maintain achievable targets. Ethical targets are set to provide evidence of our commitment to our social responsibility.

• Encourage Labour Standards Policy as a core factor in all business processes. • Educate all staff members in their responsibility surrounding Labour Standards Policy.

•Provide a platform that encourages open communication with all parties to ensure compliance with this document.

This Labour Standards Policy will be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary. Gamze Guney,  Managing Director, endorses this policy statement and is fully committed to its implementation.