Human rights
Trelleborg’s policy in this area is primarily regulated by the Group’s Code of Conduct (discrimination, freedom of association/ collective bargaining, child labor, forced labor).
The overriding responsibility for issues within the framework of the Human Rights category is borne by the head of Group Human Resources, while compliance in the daily work is the responsibility of the line managers. It is also the responsibility of the managers to ensure that training related to the Group’s Code of Conduct is included in the employees’ training program. The Group conducts training activities and communication to support this. The main tool used for following up the Group’s Code of Conduct is self-assessment in accordance with the model presented in the section Sustainability efforts, supported by randomly conducted third-party audits.
Both the Group’s earlier Code of Conduct and the recently expanded version embrace human rights. In the new Code, this is addressed in the section Fair employment practices and Fair business. During 2005, the Group adopted a specific “whistle-blower” policy allowing individual employees to report any suspected irregularities, regardless of position or issue and without fear of retribution.
No violations occurred during the year in the Group with regard to forced labor or child labor.
With the aim of verifying the current situation and ensuring procedures in such areas as human rights, an external review was conducted in 2006 of Trelleborg Automotive’s plant and operation in Wuxi, China, in relation to the existing Code of Conduct and international practice, with satisfactory results. The results were used in work to further clarify the Code of Conduct in the expanded version implemented in the spring of 2007. The audit also revealed that there is a need to educate employees in the content of the Code and this is scheduled to take place in 2007-2008.
In Swedish insurance company Folksam’s index for responsible enterprises 2006, Trelleborg received four out of a maximum of seven stars for its work with human rights. The average for Swedish listed companies was three out of seven stars. In addition, Amnesty Business Group conducted a survey of the humanrights work of major Swedish companies early in 2006. Trelleborg participated and had results on par with other Swedish industrial companies, which in turn were higher than the average results for all companies.
Trelleborg’s workplace policy states that Trelleborg shall not apply special treatment to employees in regard to recruitment or work assignments on the basis of gender, religion, age, physical impairment, sexual orientation, nationality, political views or social or ethnic origin. During 2006, five cases of discrimination were reported and investigated. In two of the cases, it was found that the reports were unsubstantiated, investigations are still in progress in one of the cases, and measures have been to taken in the remaining cases to ensure that the situation will not be repeated.