List of generic resources

ETI Resources: Country Information

This page provides a selected list of generic resources – organisations, publications or databases that provide relevant information on a wide range of countries. We feature five resources that are free of charge, and four resources for which you have to pay.

Interested in a particular country? Visit the list of countries to check who can provide relevant information on the country in question. And for some key sourcing countries, we have signposted additional country-specific resources not featured below.

Please note that inclusion of an organisation or resource on this page does not constitute an endorsement of that organisation or resource. Please read our full statement on the criteria used for inclusion of material in the ETI Website Country Resources section.

 

 

Free resources – Top 5

Introduction

The following five resources provide different types of information – each has its strengths and weaknesses, and no single source provides all the answers. ETI recommends that you check all of the first four resources listed below for available information about labour law and practice in the country in question. The fifth resource is recommended for background information on broader human rights issues that are not directly related to the ETI Base Code.

In each entry below, follow the link for a page of more detailed information about the resource, where you will also find a link to the website where you can obtain/order copies.
 

Cal Safety Compliance Corporation (CSCC) Website

Cal Safety Compliance Corporation (CSCC) provides brief (half-page) country profiles on its Website. A large number of countries are covered, and each profile touches on issues directly relevant to company labour codes, although coverage is far from comprehensive and quite variable between countries. These profiles are useful as an initial indicator of key areas of risk.

International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU): reports for the WTO on core labour standards

The ICFTU prepares a series of reports for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on law and practice in relation to the core labour standards (ie, child labour, forced labour, freedom of association and collective bargaining, discrimination and equal remuneration) in different countries. The reports mainly draw on publicly available information sources and information provided by ICFTU affiliates in the country involved.

US Department of State: Human Rights Reports

US State Department Human Rights Reports cover 196 countries, and are updated annually. Each country report includes a section on “workers’ rights”, which provides a brief overview of relevant law and labour practices in relation to freedom of association and collective bargaining, forced labour, child labour, wages/living wage, health and safety and working hours.

ILO NATLEX database

The ILO maintains NATLEX, an extensive on-line database containing abstracts and references to over 55,000 national labour, social security and related human rights laws in more than 170 countries and territories. Full texts are provided for 560 laws, and links to relevant electronic sources are provided for some others. It is most useful for accessing the text of a law that you have already identified from other sources.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

The aim of the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre "online library" is to provide easy access (through links) to a wide range of materials on subjects relating to business and human rights. It is set up so you can easily search by country or region. There is little specific information on labour law and practice, but is useful for finding about current CSR initiatives or topical human rights issues affecting businesses operating in the country in question.

 

 

Paying resources – Top 4

Introduction

All of the following resources are available at a price – although this varies significantly, with the AMRC Book (US$38) being significantly cheaper than the rest. As with the free resources featured above, each of the following resources have their strengths and weaknesses. Different resources will appeal to different companies, depending on the company’s approach to ethical trade, eg, whether a company carries out its own audits or contracts this out to a third-party. The following summary descriptions, and the full profiles and samples of each resource, are provided to help you assess which resource best suits your needs – and your pocket.

Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC): Asia Pacific Labour Law Review 2003

The Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) has published a 400 page book, Asia Pacific Labour Law Review 2003, which provides profiles of labour law and how it affects workers in 30 countries in the Asia Pacific region. In addition to a review of labour law as laid down in statutes, it also includes analysis of the effects of labour law on unorganised as well as organised, and informal as well as formal, workers. Contributors are specialists in labour law of the countries in question, and are independent researchers or drawn from trade unions, NGOs, the legal profession or academia.

Business for Social Responsibility (BSR): Labour Law Database

Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) maintains an on-line database, Labour Law, which provides detailed information on labour law in over 60 countries. It allows production of different types of reports, eg, by country, by region, or by code issue. The information contained in the database is verified by labour lawyers.

Impactt Limited: country information

Impactt Ltd provides both off-the-shelf and tailor-made country reports and briefings covering labour and other social issues. Their two main products in this regard – Labour Law Summaries and Country Briefings – are structured around the 9 elements of the ETI Base Code. The reports/briefings are compiled from research of publicly available information sources, supplemented by the practical auditing experience of Impactt staff, and interviews with relevant local specialists where deemed necessary.

Verité: Country Assessments and Labour Law Digests

Verité produce two types of country briefings. Country Assessments provide an overview of relevant labour law, government enforcement and implementation status, covering most elements of the ETI Base Code. Labour Law Digests provide more detailed information on relevant labour law. Information for each briefing is obtained from a combination of their own auditing experience and in-country research conducted in collaboration with local partners.

 

 

Further information sources available

• Additional resources for selected countries - compiled by ETI.