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The IBA’s response to the war in Ukraine
8 Oct - 13 Oct 2017
Room C4.11, Convention Centre, Level 4
Tuesday 10 October (1115 - 1230)
Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee
(Lead)
Business Human Rights Committee
After the Bangladesh factory collapse, there has been movement to hold companies accountable and liable for the behaviour of vendors in the supply chain. The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act and the UK Modern Slavery Act both put the onus on companies to disclose and report their efforts to monitor their supply chains and ensure there are no human rights violations (or report they are doing nothing). What are employers doing to improve the working conditions in their supply chains? How far should this responsibility extend? What are directors’ duties and should they be held accountable? Companies need to comply with domestic laws that may apply to foreign incidents. The health and safety issues in developing countries are very real and companies are being held accountable – either legally or through public relations - for their related operations in these jurisdictions. What are best practices? Are the current supplier codes of conduct sufficient? What is the proper team to address these issues? Why are operational level grievance mechanisms not functioning (properly) and what type of escalation mechanisms do we need? This session will analyse legal requirements, as well as practical solutions. We will discuss why lawyers are important in this area and how they may contribute to designing policy by working with compliance and risk management professionals.
Caroline Andre-Hesse | Ayache, Paris, France; Corporate Counsel Forum Liaison Officer, Employment and Industrial Relations Law Committee |
Paul Cutrone | Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Joydeep Hor | People + Culture Strategies, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Jason Lu | River Delta Law Firm, Shanghai, China |
Hye C Yu | Kim & Chang, Seoul, South Korea |