annual report 2002/2003 — harnessing difference
achievements/sharing good practice

learning together – our roundtables and seminars

We continued providing information and guidance on topics prioritised by members through our informal roundtables and public seminars. These allowed members to learn, share their knowledge and expertise and discuss prominent issues. One such event is detailed below.

Prison labour

This forum, in November 2002, aimed to increase members’ understanding of prison labour issues. It included an overview of the key principles of international law governing prison labour, how to identify whether or not prison labour is exploitative, and company experiences of identifying and responding to prison labour in their supply chains.

Key points and next steps

Key concerns centre on prisoners working for private companies. Worldwide, work carried out by prisoners for private companies is on the increase. The main issues to consider are whether prisoners are being exploited as cheap labour with little benefit to them, whether they have given genuine consent to work in what approximates to a free employment relationship, and whether the work they perform helps to increase their confidence, skills and chances of securing work after leaving prison. In the UK, neither national law nor current practice conforms to ILO standards on prison labour.

A seminar in February 2004 will explore the issues in more depth and consider how the ETI Base Code can be applied in the context of prison labour. The perspective of prisoners themselves and the Prison Officers’ Association will be included.

See also: Report on the February 2004 Prison Labour Members' Roundtable.
 

ETI Seminars 2002/2003

ETI member and public seminar topics and summary papers are available on our website.

• Worker awareness and education
• Working with local monitoring groups
• Effecting change in your own organisation
• How influencing suppliers is best achieved when buying power is limited
• Engaging with workers in China Trade unions and companies – framework agreements
• Corrective actions: sharing best practice
• Socially Responsible Investment (SRI): labour standards for investors
• ETI / UK Social Investment Forum: supermarkets and supply chains
• Working on the edge: TUC / ETI / National Group on Homeworking Conference on improving the conditions of atypical workers, including homeworkers

Please see:
Events: Member Roundtables
Events: Public Seminars

 

“Energising. The roundtables provide a forum to brainstorm openly and honestly. I have always come away thinking ‘Hooray that I work on codes of conduct’ and come away with loads of ideas”
  — Sara Clancy, Code of Conduct Manager, Levi Strauss & Co

“They focus on current issues - every roundtable that I have been to has tackled an issue that we have been grappling with.”
  — Sharon McClenaghan, Senior Policy Officer Private Sector, Christian Aid