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VF Factory Audit Supplier Production Code applies to all factories that produce goods for VF or any of its subsidiaries, divisions or alliances. The factories include factories owned and operated by VF itself, or its contractors, agents and suppliers, collectively referred to as "VF Approved Factories".
VF understands that different legal and cultural environments exist in different parts of the world where factories operate. This compliance principle is to achieve best practices and continuous transformation. This compliance principle or similar documents must be translated into the language understood by local employees and posted in all major workplaces.
1. Legal and ethical business conduct
All VF approved factories must fully comply with all applicable laws in their countries, including all laws, regulations and provisions regarding wages, working hours, employment, labor, health and safety, environment, immigration and the garment industry. Employers must have business ethics.
2. Salary and benefits
VF recognizes that compensation varies from country to country. All VF approved factories must compensate their employees fairly, including wages and benefits, at least in accordance with the legal minimum standards or the local industry prevailing wage rate, whichever is higher, and provide legally required benefits. Employees' overtime must be fully compensated in accordance with local laws, and each employee should receive a clearly written wage slip containing all accounting items when each pay period is issued.
3. Child Labor
No person under the age of 15 (or 14 but in accordance with the guidelines set by the International Labor Organization) or younger than the age for completing compulsory education specified by the local country, which should be older than 15, will be accepted for employment. All VF approved workshops must be aware of all work laws regarding employees under the age of 18, especially those regarding working hours and working conditions.
4. Working hours
All VF approved workshops must determine the working hours of their employees, calculated on a normal schedule, which shall not exceed the minimum of (i) normal and overtime hours limited by local law or (ii) 60 hours per week including overtime (unless under abnormal business circumstances). If there is a mandatory requirement for overtime work in the employment conditions, employees should be notified in advance when they are hired. All employees should be entitled to at least one day off in every seven-day period.
5. Harassment
All VF approved factories must treat all employees with respect and dignity. Therefore, VF approved factories may not physically punish, physically, sexually, psychologically or verbally harass or abuse employees. Furthermore, VF approved factories may not use monetary fines as a form of discipline.
6. Health and Safety
All VF approved factories must provide their employees with a clean, safe and healthy working environment, and try to prevent any accidents and injuries to health that may be caused or occur during work. All VF approved factories must comply with all applicable local and statutory mandatory standards for workplace health and safety.
7. Women’s Rights
VF certified factories must ensure that female workers receive fair compensation, including benefits, equal wages, fair evaluation of their work performance, and equal opportunities to fill male workers' positions. Pregnancy tests cannot be one of the quota conditions, nor can they be required of employees. Workers who take maternity leave (during the statutory leave period) will not be fired or threatened with dismissal, lose service years or have their wages deducted, and can be restored to their original positions including original wages and benefits. Workers will not be forced or pressured to accept contraception. Workers will not be placed in contact with hazards, including glues and solvents, that affect their safety, including their reproductive health. Factories should provide appropriate services and arrangements related to pregnancy to female workers.
8. No discrimination
VF recognizes and respects cultural differences. Employment, including hiring, compensation, benefits, promotion, dismissal and retirement, should be based on ability rather than belief or any other personal characteristics. VF recognizes that workplaces should not discriminate based on race, color, nationality, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, political opinion, or social or ethnic origin.
9. Outsourcing
VF Approved Workshops may not outsource processing of VF products or combinations without VF's written approval and the contractor's agreement to abide by VF's terms of employment, including these Compliance Principles.
10. Supervision and Compliance
All VF Approved Workshops must maintain on-site documentation demonstrating compliance with these Global Compliance Principles. VF and its affiliates conduct validation assessments, such as announced and unannounced on-site inspections of production plants, to review compliance with these Principles. VF contractors, suppliers and agents must allow VF representatives access to production plants, review employee records and confidential conversations with employees, and conduct relevant and comprehensive monitoring visits. Furthermore, VF Approved Workshops must respond promptly to reasonable inquiries from VF representatives regarding topics covered by the audit.
11. Workers' accommodation (dormitory)
Dormitories provided by VF approved factories must provide a clean, safe and healthy living environment. Dormitory design must provide adequate privacy, security and freedom of movement for residents. Dormitory facilities must comply with all applicable local housing regulations and mandatory standards.
12. Factory Standard Notice
VF approved factories should inform employees about the standards of the workplace verbally and by posting the standards in a conspicuous place. And use other methods to regularly educate employees about the standards.
13. Factory Security
VF's corporate policy requires suppliers to establish a factory security procedure to prevent items not listed on the cargo manifest from being mixed into export cargo. Such items include drugs, biological agents, explosives, weapons, radioactive materials, illegal immigrants, and other contraband. Related information: >>> What are the precautions for VF factory inspection?
If the factory violates this Compliance Principle in any way, it must make appropriate changes at its own expense. VF reserves the right to take necessary measures to ensure that it will comply with this "Compliance Principle" in the future. Failure to comply with this Compliance Principle may ultimately lead to VF's termination of its cooperation with the factory.
The above content is an introduction to the VF factory inspection supplier production code. If you have any questions about the above content or want to know more about the factory inspection information, you can click on the online consultation on the webpage, or call our phone number directly. We have professional factory inspection experts to communicate with you in detail. Our factory inspection consultants have decades of factory inspection guidance experience and have the most professional factory inspection information. |
