48
W
e are committed to the internation-
ally recognised principles regarding
the protection of Human Rights, as these
are determined in the Universal Declaration
on Human Rights. In addition, acknowl-
edging our share of the responsibility to
play a part in the efforts to limit this prac-
tice, we apply the Principles of the UN Glob-
al Compact which refer to the effective abo-
lition of child labour and of the employment
of young contracted personnel in haz-
ardous work, as well as of all forms of
forced or compulsory labour.
In line with the above, during 2013 and in
parallel with our current practices (such as
our full compliance with the applicable
laws, the application of the relevant provi-
sions of the Group's Professional Ethics
Code, the mobilisation of the Human Re-
sources Departments of all our subsidiaries
regarding the need to monitor such practices
and to take action in collaboration with the
representatives of employees’ unions, where
these exist), we took important initiatives
that strengthen the procedure for prevention
of such incidents.
More specifically:
6.9 CHILD & FORCED LABOUR
INITIATIVES
RESULTS
We developed a “Code of Conduct for the Suppliers and
Business Partners of MYTILINEOS Group”.
We upgraded our UNGC COP Differentiation Level from
Active to Advanced.
We applied special preventive procedures where our ac-
tivity is considered to present a higher risk of occurrence
of forced or child labour (e.g. construction of power
plants, through METKA S.A., in specific geographical ar-
eas).
Through this initiative, we disclose and apply in practice our standing
policy towards our supply chain actors, which consists in carrying out
prior checks and refusing to enter into an association with any suppli-
er or contractor known to operate using unlawful practices that en-
courage, condone or cover up incidents involving the employment of
persons under legal working age, the physical or other unlawful ha-
rassment or the use of forced labour.
In doing so, we strengthen our commitment to Principle 10 of the UN
Global Compact and we move towards the gradual application of spe-
cific best practices that will help us implement our policy more effec-
tively.
In these specific regions, METKA S.A. takes all necessary steps to
ensure compliance with the provisions of the laws regarding child
and forced labour by means of its internal regulations and the Pro-
fessional Ethics Code, which reflect the business ethics and values
that apply to all employees. In parallel, the company requires its Man-
agers and Senior Executives to undertake a binding commitment to
adopt fully and defend these principles and to adhere to the appli-
cable legal framework. Furthermore, all contracts and agreements
that the Company concludes with its business partners contain claus-
es on the mandatory compliance with the applicable national laws,
rules and regulations, in order to rule out all likelihood of incidents
of child labour and forced labour as well as of incidents of em-
ployment of young contracted personnel in hazardous work, and on
the acceptance of the Code of Conduct of the Suppliers and Busi-
ness Partners of MYTILINEOS Group as a prerequisite for collabo-
ration.
METKA S.A. has in place supervisors at its work premises (construction
sites or plants), who carry out constant checks of subcontractors
for adherence to the law and for compliance with the contractual
terms, to eliminate all likelihood of incidents of forced labour. All
projects undertaken by METKA S.A. are also subject to regular au-
dits and inspections conducted by the company’s headquarters as
well as by independent organisations in order to ensure adherence
to the rules for Health & Safety at work and the faithful applica-
tion of the terms of the subcontracting agreements.
