The ILO and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) join forces to strengthen the labour dimension of corporate social responsibility in China
Delegates enthusiastically engage on issues around labour standards, Chinese labour law and CSR during a three-day training
The three-day seminar aimed at strengthening and disseminating knowledge on international labour standards, the ILO Declaration on multinational enterprises, Chinese labour laws and regulations as well as existing CSR guidelines. Participants were trained in a number of areas including responsible labour practices, gender equality at the workplace, occupational safety and health, working hours and wages. They are now expected to effectively advocate and promote responsible labour practices in their supply chains in China.
“Good CSR practices can help prevent child and forced labour, improve employees’ participation and labour-management negotiation and promote harmonious labour relations in supply chains. They are an important contributor to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,” said Claire Courteille – Mulder, Director, ILO Country Office for China and Mongolia.
Participants expressed their interest in knowing more about international and national labour standards, as companies are increasingly mindful about their reputation. “The meeting was very helpful for my work in the CSR area and hopefully there will be more of these in the coming years,” said Wang Wei, Division Director, China Enterprise Confederation (CEC).
The seminar marked the first of a series aimed at raising stakeholders’ awareness and capacity on the labour dimension of CSR. It is part of a broader project on Responsible Supply Chains in Asia, supported by the European Union.
“This seminar has been successful and the feedback from the participants is very positive. The results are beyond my expectations, which makes me confident in organizing follow-up activities in the future!” concluded Huang Kun, Deputy Director, Office of Labour and Social Security Law, Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security.
The Responsible Supply Chains in Asia Project was developed by the European Union together with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to enable governments, businesses and workers to communicate on challenges and opportunities relating to corporate social responsibility in six Asian countries – China, Japan, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. It uses as a basis for its research, outreach, policy advocacy and training internationally recognised guidelines on responsible business conduct, the OECD’s Guidelines for multinational enterprises, and the ILO’s MNE declaration.
For more information about the Responsible Supply Chains in Asia Project, visit www.ilo.org/rsca or contact:
Ms. JI Cuijie
National Project Coordinator in China
ji@ilo.org