Labor Practice and Human Rights
Fair Labor Practices and respect for human rights is the fundamental principle in conducting business that Central Retail values, from promoting diversity and equality, as well as creating a corporate culture that is open to opinions and creativity in business operations to raise the basic rights and well-being of the society. Central Retail also strives to reduce the risk of human rights violations throughout the supply chain.
Management Approach
Central Retail operates under a policy on human rights and labor practices in line with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP), the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the labor laws of the country. These principles are applied to operations throughout the supply chain. In addition, Central Retail has organized training on human rights, as well as discrimination and various forms of harassment for employees at all levels to create an understanding of the principles and procedures. Central Retail encourages complaints regarding incidents violating human rights in order to create an organizational culture that respects human rights and support diversity.
Attracting and Retaining Employees
In addition to respecting human rights and the fair treatment of labor, Central Retail has established I-CARE values to create an open organizational culture that values stakeholders. This is to attract talented human capital and promote the well-being of existing employees.
Central Retail has established a strategy to attract talent based on respect for human rights, fair and equitable treatment, and creating a challenging working environment and culture, as well as openness to diversity and differences. The details are as follows:
| Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Employees | Operational Guidelines |
|---|---|
| Occupation | A comprehensive portfolio will help attract a diverse workforce to join Central Retail. |
| Opportunity | Central Retail is a global organization with businesses in many countries, therefore, attracting employees from all over the world. |
| Challenges | Operating in a change-sensitive environment will attract young blood and employees who like challenges. |
| Growth | Challenging work and providing modern training courses will help attract personnel who love to learn and strive for constant self-development under the succession policy. |
| Professional Environment | An open environment and corporate culture will attract young blood and diverse employees. |
Under the corporate value of I-CARE, Central Retail has determined that all employees receive life insurance benefits, health care, parental leave, and retirement benefits. Furthermore, the Human Resources Department is responsible for assessing the competency of employees to determine compensation that is fair and appropriate, according to the abilities of each employee. Central Retail also requires all employees to regularly participate in self-development planning with the support of each employee's supervisor, as well as prepare succession plans for employees who will become the next generation of leaders within the organization. Central Retail regularly assesses employee engagement levels and is always ready to improve and initiate projects to support employees in the future.
A Great Place to Work
Central Retail give importance for “employee” and strives to create environment to be “A Great Place to Work” by proceed to prevent and protect employees at all levels from being discriminated against, in all cases, threatening and harassment, whether sexual and non-sexual, to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. Furthermore, Central Retail manage to do well in taking care of all forms of sexual harassment by pay attention to prevent harassment or sexual harassment in the workplace by conducting as below.
The Supervision of Corporate Human Rights
Central Retail will proceed to prevent and protect employees at all levels from being discriminated against, in all cases, threatening and harassment, whether sexual and non-sexual, to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. If there is an incident on discrimination and harassment, the Company will investigate the incident fairly with all parties involved and will not tolerate any discrimination, sexual and non-sexual harassment, or a situation where employees are threatened in the workplace
Central Retail has built a labor practices human rights framework. All operations in all areas are covered by strong corporate governance rules that are compliant with the UN Guiding rules on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) covering whole business operations including all supply chain such as business partners, contractors, suppliers, and joint ventures.
Human Rights Policy and Regulation on Human for Rights labor
Human Rights policy applied with all human rights issues related to company business operation activities in every dimension such as Forced labor, Human trafficking, Child labor, Restriction of the right to collectively bargain to protect the unfair compensation, Equal opportunity, Non-discrimination or Discrimination against vulnerable groups such as women, children, indigenous peoples, migrant workers, the disabled, LBGTQI+, including anti-discrimination against the discrimination and harassment in all its forms
Human Rights Training
Human Rights training on discrimination and patterns of harassment contents are providing to all level of staff encourage the understanding of principles, practices and method of complaints filing when witness the disrespect human rights actions situation and to enhance policy’s execution. Central Retail as well continuously conducts Human Rights Due Diligence process to identify significant human rights issues.
Human Rights Due Diligence
Central Retail has defined a framework for conducting human rights risk assessments systematically and efficiently covering all operational areas and all business activities of the company, including business partners, contractors, suppliers and joint ventures, to identify material human rights issues that are related to the business operations of the company including new business expanding, new arising from mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures by specifying issues covering all aspects such as forced labor, usage of child labor, working conditions and labor practices, freedom of association and collective bargaining, freedom of expression, human trafficking, equal compensation, discrimination, environmental and community rights, access to remedy, human rights violations in the supply chain, and data privacy protection.
Human Rights Due Diligence report 2022
Central Retail has announced Human Rights Policies to explain how the company respects human rights through embedding the responsibility on human rights policy into management systems and oversight bodies.
Central Retail identifies risks through a human rights risk assessment process in all business operations and activities of the company and identifies risks using human rights risks self-assessment to survey key suppliers’ business operations and activities. Assuring of no human rights violation caused by the company’s business operation and activities, the company consistently and continuously conducts the Human Rights issues review and mitigation and remediation process tracking.
Human Rights risk issue categories that potentially occur in the company's business operation and activities
1. Identify the risks and determine the process to reduce the likelihood of the risks and mitigate the impact.
- Integrate risk assessment results obtained from all operational areas into decision-making process from Core Team.
- Report the identified risks to the company's risk committee (ARMC) and integrate them into the corporate enterprise risk register.
- Identify the responsible function that will be responsible for the next steps to mitigate risks.
- The responsible function then, make human rights risk mitigation plans that place the emphasis on reducing the risks’ likelihood and impacts. Define actions plan to mitigate risks, procedures, and remedies for each risk issue.
2. Implement human rights risk mitigation plans
- Follow the steps specified in the established work plan. Amend and add intermediate processes where necessary to maximize the effectiveness of risk mitigation.
- Report on the progress of mitigation and remediation to stakeholders or those who are at risk of being affected by human rights risks.
- Monitor and follow up the implementation of risk mitigation plans from relevant business units through designated communication channels.
- Progress reports including, red flag, the company impact from actual risks to Sustainable Development Team and Corporate Governance & Sustainability Committee to report incidents and give advice to responsible business units to take further steps to mitigate risks.
3. Take mitigation and remedial steps (In the occurrence from Human Rights Risks and there are affecting group)
- Take remedial action for stakeholders and affecting vulnerable groups according to company’s guideline.
- Notify responsible function and function executives, stakeholders and affecting vulnerable groups about the progress of mitigating and remedial action.
- Follow up on the results of mitigation actions and remedies.
- Adjust mitigating and remedial processes (if necessary).
- Implement ongoing mitigation and discuss the results of the action with stakeholders. And affected people periodically until process end and return to normal conditions before the human rights risks impacted.
Remediation Guideline
Central Retail established approaches as a guideline for all business units and to build capacity to respond effectively with scenarios involving human rights violations. The remediation will range from an apology, restitution, financial compensation, non-financial compensation, and assistance to access public remedy following the illustration below.
Proactively support Human Rights Measure Practicing
- Central Retail has a mechanism manual which thoroughly provides information regarding on complaint handling process and procedures.
- If an impact is found, and complaint is filed through the channel, the complaint will go through the investigation process by the complaint handling committee that was established to investigate the facts, impose fault, approve penalties and determine the remedial process for those impacted on a case-by-case basis, along with
- Creating awareness of human rights implementation to the employees through various activities, such as messages from the company’s Senior Executive to the employees throughout the organization, develop training courses and organize training to increase human rights knowledge and practices that cover all employee levels.
- Take effective and continuous measures according to policies as well as maintaining customer service and working standards.
- Define appropriate work guidelines that are suitable for the changing of work environment.
Grievance Mechanism
Grievance Mechanism developed to be a process to reduce manage and tracking the Human Rights violation. Central Retail has established a whistleblowing policy to assist complain filing. We provide multiple channels to receive complaints internally and externally from stakeholders.
Compliant via email or post to: Head of Internal Audit. CRCWhistleblower@central.co.th
In case of complaint towards the Chief Executive Officer Email: The Chairman of the Audit Committee AuditChairman@central.co.th or postal mail to
Performance
