Communicate and Train across producer organization

• Effective communication is an important aspect of any social compliance program. merely auditing/assessing the workplaces and remediating violations alone does not solve many of the labor problems found at harvesting and production sites, processing facilities and other workplaces.
• Training, capacity building and an emphasis on continuous improvement have been found to be the most effective way to make progress toward greater compliance with codes of conduct
• Identify the people and groups to whom you should communicate and provide training.
• Define the topics that should be covered in communication and training activities for each group
• Training needs assessment needs to be done based on each category
  • Social compliance committee training
  • Workers and labours training
  • Gender training
  • Women’s training
  • Youth Training
  • Business development / Entruprenurship training
  • Staff training / field officers training
  • General awareness building etc. (visual oriented -  Specific training formats have been developed for such populations, including films, graphical materials, posters and other visuals)

System strengthening process - Compliance and Safeguarding committee at PO

The process includes three important steps:

• An acknowledgement of the compliant and a preliminary review to determine whether the compliant is applicable to our supply chain and doing a quick assessment of the case.
• An in-depth review of the complaint, working with various stakes within the system to understand the case better and to develop a time-bound action and remediation plan. No single person will act upon the case.
• Actions implemented by the producer to resolve the issue, with the outcomes monitored by the committee

Flow:

• Producers setting up of this will allow workers to raise issues with employers without fear of reprisal. This safeguarding system should also have ways to make anonymous complaints and should have whistle blower protections.
• PO’s should ensure that safe, accessible channels are available to workers, farmers and any vulnerable member to lodge complaints about any issue related to policy and code of conduct.
• When auditors and/or independent verification organizations (including media or research team) visit worksites, farmers and workers should able able to speak for themselves.
• The farmers and workers needs to have trust about the process and be encouraged to make known any complaints to them in a confidential setting.
• Standard procedures should also be in place for handling and resolving complaints that are received through all channels.
• These procedures should be clearly explained and posted across,where the farmers and workers understand and able the access these systems.
• The procedures should include protection of privacy and protection from reprisal for the person or group bringing the complaint, as well as a communications protocol to notify both the complainant and other affected stakeholders of the outcome of the grievance
• Documenting all the process is very necessary for any case processing.