Social practice report
-influence of ——SA8000 on Zhejiang import and export enterprises
Venue: Danlis Clothing Company, Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Equipment Co., Ltd.
Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd. Xiaoshan Li Jing Silk Printing and Dyeing Company Xiaoshan Hangmin Fertilizer Factory
Activity days: 5 days
Purpose of the activity: fully understand the present situation of township enterprises and find a way out for their future development.
SA8000 certification is a new thing, and the introduction of new things always has a process of acceptance and adaptation, in which many problems will appear. This paper introduces SA8000, objectively states the reaction and views of enterprises to this "new trade barrier", analyzes and discusses the problems reflected from it, and puts forward relevant suggestions.
From May 1 2004, European and American countries will enforce a new international trade standard-social responsibility standard, namely SA8000 standard certification, and products will be restricted from exporting to European and American markets. This has a great influence on the labor-intensive industries in Zhejiang Province, which mainly export clothing, shoes and textiles.
According to the statistics of Hangzhou Customs, during the period of 1-2 this year, the above-mentioned labor-intensive products exported by Zhejiang to the United States and the European Union reached $4 1 10,000 and $530 million respectively, accounting for 33.8% of the total export value of similar products in the province. However, at present, most enterprises in this province have not yet reached the SA8000 standard. In this way, most enterprises in Zhejiang province and even the whole country are about to fall into the certification crisis.
What is SA8000?
SA8000 is a verification standard of international social responsibility developed by CEPAA in August 1997 according to the International Labour Organization Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Its standard content has the same verification system as ISO9000 or ISO 14000.
The requirements of SA8000 standard include:
child labourer
forced labour
Safety and health care department
Freedom to form trade unions and the right to collective bargaining
distinguish
Disciplinary measures
working hours
salary
management system
In fact, this coincides with China's labor law to a great extent. The fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth and eleventh chapters of the Labor Law refer to the working hours, rest and vacation of workers respectively. Wage security; Labor safety and health; Special protection for female workers and underage workers; Social insurance and welfare; Supervision and inspection. Its purpose is to endow the market economy with humanitarianism. Therefore, SA8000 can still be used for reference in China.
Benefits of SA8000 to actual production and life:
1, reducing the second-party audit of suppliers by foreign customers and saving costs;
2. Meet the requirements of local laws and regulations to a greater extent;
3. Establish international reputation;
4. Let consumers establish positive feelings about products;
5. Let partners build long-term confidence in this enterprise.
As of August 26th, 2002, 150 organizations in 27 countries around the world have obtained SA8000 certification. From the intercontinental distribution of certified organizations: Asia has the largest number, with 92 organizations from 14 countries, accounting for 61.3% of the total; From the perspective of the country distribution of certification bodies, China has the largest number, and 34 institutions in 10 industries have been certified, accounting for 22.7% of the total; However, judging from the total number of export enterprises, there are not many enterprises that have passed the certification in the Yangtze River Delta and other places, and they call SA8000 a new round of trade barriers.
Failure to implement this standard is mainly a matter of cost. There are three costs in SA8000: the time cost for evaluating the existing situation, formulating system principles and procedures, and controlling and recording; Remedial measures; The third kind of certification review and continuous control and supervision review.
Another business person joked that SA8000 is a blessing for workers and a "curse" for export enterprises. What happened? What are the views and opinions of enterprises on the certification of SA8000? Based on the investigation of five export enterprises, we made further analysis and research.
First, traditional ideas, no sense of advance.
Among the six companies we investigated, everyone knows more or less about SA8000, but none of them has passed the SA8000 certification, and they don't intend to pass the certification in the future. It seems that the implementation of SA8000 has a long way to go.
Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Accessories Co., Ltd. is our first stop. Located in Yuhang Economic Development Zone, Hangzhou, it is a subsidiary of Shiyuan Company. Shiyuan Company is a wholly American-owned company in China. Shiyuan (China) has passed the ISO international quality system certification. In production management, we strictly follow the FDA standards of the United States and passed the FDA certification, German EN certification and ISO re-certification. Combined with the implementation of ERP system, the products are exported to Europe and America. But it is such an enterprise with high qualified rate of finished products and standardized management. The director of its human resources department said frankly that he had read some information about SA8000 on the Internet and felt that it was basically in line with the laws and regulations on labor relations and did not need separate certification. At present, the superior has not issued the document, and the customer has not made any request for this item, so the certification of SA8000 is not considered for the time being. But he also suggested that if there are requirements to be implemented or other enterprises start to do it, they will also start to do it. Similarly, Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd., located in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, has an annual revenue of more than 1 100 million yuan, and its blown film products are exported to Japan. The products have passed ISO9000 certification, but there is no plan to certify SA8000 at present. The supplier of Shiyuan, Hangmin, is a private welfare enterprise. It is also a technology-intensive enterprise and has passed ISO 14000 and ISO9000 certifications. The equipment is imported from Germany, and the products are sold all over the country, mainly exported to the United States, Japan and South Korea. Have a positive intention to SA8000 certification. In this way, only 20% of the survey companies have a preliminary intention to SA8000 certification.
It seems that few people dare to be the first person to eat crabs, and most of them are content with the status quo. They won't try until they see others taste the sweetness or have hard requirements. Production management is still relatively traditional in concept.
Second, interests first, employees second.
Hangzhou shiyuan medical auxiliary products co., ltd., like most enterprises in society, implements the cost compensation system. Executives negotiate wages, while operators are the most common piece-rate wage system, that is, workers' wages are based on performance. At present, the company has 50-240 employees. Although overtime is not advocated, wages are based on performance. In order to make more money, "independent overtime" is inevitable. According to a newspaper report, due to the oversupply of social employment, workers, especially migrant workers, are eager to find jobs, have a poor sense of self-protection and are willing to work overtime blindly. Therefore, it is particularly important to scientifically calculate the content of piece-rate wages. In enterprises that have established trade unions, trade unions negotiate with enterprises to determine reasonable unit prices. Chapter IV, Article 37 of the Labor Law also clearly stipulates that the employing unit shall reasonably determine the labor quota and piece-rate remuneration standard for the workers who carry out piece-rate work. Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Auxiliary Equipment Co., Ltd. suggested that the management should be "humanized" as far as possible. So far, only one female worker has complained to the labor bureau about her salary, and the situation is ok. Zhang Bin, the manager of Hangzhou Branch of Jinshan Company, also put forward the management core of "taking this as the foundation".
But in any case, the company pays attention to output and quality, and its fundamental purpose is to improve work efficiency, which is the guarantee for the survival and development of enterprises. Then, after the interests are guaranteed, is it necessary to talk about human nature? People can't help but feel that interests come first and employees come second.
According to the relevant requirements of SA8000 and the Labor Law, the actual situation of the investigation is analyzed below.
1, child labor, female workers, special workers
SA8000 requires that children should not be employed and that men and women receive equal pay for equal work. The labor law also has special labor protection provisions for female employees and underage workers over 16 years old 18 years old.
Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Aids Co., Ltd. refused to recruit1children under 8 years old. Operators are required to graduate from junior high school or above, so as to avoid recruiting child labor. The company believes that the recruitment of child labor is not only illegal, but also not conducive to further increase in production. Due to the nature of the industry, most working women workers can basically get equal pay for equal work for men and women. Hangzhou Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd. also stipulated the rights and interests of men and women. Xiaoshan Jinglisi Printing and Dyeing Company is a labor-intensive enterprise, and its products are mainly sold to Europe and America. They mainly recruit migrant workers, because manpower is cheaper, which is conducive to reducing costs. In this private enterprise, Danlis Clothing Company, we see that women workers are the main ones, and even we find that we have recruited children. The wages of men and women in Xiaoshan Hangmin non-manufacturing factory are different, most of the employees are locals, and the disabled account for more than 50%. (State regulations: 30% of the disabled are exempt from local taxes; Disabled people account for more than 50%, exempt from local tax and national tax)
2. Working hours and holidays
SA8000 stipulates that under no circumstances should employees be required to work more than 48 hours a week, take at least one day off every seven days, and work overtime no more than 12 hours a week. I have read that the labor law also clearly stipulates that the daily working hours of workers shall not exceed 8 hours, and the average weekly working hours shall not exceed 44 hours. Under the condition of ensuring the health of workers, the extended working hours shall not exceed 3 hours per day and 36 hours per month. During the following festivals, workers should also be arranged for holidays according to law: (1) New Year's Day (2) Spring Festival (3) International Labor Day (4) National Day (5) Other holidays stipulated by laws and regulations.
Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Auxiliary Equipment Co., Ltd. has an 8-hour working day, working hours are 8: 00 am-5: 00 pm and lunch time is one hour. During the summer vacation, because of the power failure, the workers all worked from 1 1 until 6 am. Hangzhou Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd. has also paid overtime pay to the operators that meets the standards, but the sales staff will not be paid overtime when they are on a business trip and have a rest day. So obviously standardized, but not standardized. Overworking has many hidden worries. During the Spring Festival in 2004, the female employees of a supermarket in Chun Qing Road died suddenly at work because of overwork. Labor is cheap, but life is a matter of life. However, employees' self-awareness protection is poor, and in order to make money, they often work more than 8 hours a day.
Step 3 pay
Just now, the problem of piecework wage system has been mentioned briefly above. Both SA8000 and Labor Law have put forward the requirements of minimum wage standard. SA8000 also requires equal pay for equal work.
The wages of men and women in Xiaoshan Hangmin non-manufacturing factory are different, but the female workers are not lower than those in 750 yuan and the male workers are not lower than those in 850 yuan. Are higher than the minimum wage in 520 yuan. The salary of Hangzhou Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd. is also higher than that of 520 yuan, but the salary of sales staff is often linked to performance, and bonuses are deducted according to the receivable ratio every month, and some even make ends meet. This rule is noncommittal. Data show that the minimum wage is adjusted at least once every two years. Last year, it was adjusted five times in our province, and it was adjusted from 578 yuan to 635 yuan (excluding social insurance) in 520 yuan (considering housing, social security and other factors). Jiangsu Province was reorganized from 540 yuan to 620 yuan (excluding foreign-funded enterprises). The economy of Jiangsu province is not very prominent. Such a high minimum wage guarantee is to promote local economic development. Nowadays, many companies use the minimum wage to add welfare expenses such as overtime or lunch to 520 yuan, which is actually illegal. For overtime pay, the Labor Law stipulates that it shall not be less than 150% of the salary at ordinary times and not less than 300% of the salary on holidays. Those who do not take compensatory time off at ordinary times shall not be less than 200% of their wages.
4. Health, safety and environmental sanitation
SA8000 proposed that the company should provide employees with a healthy and safe working environment, and have special management personnel to supervise it.
For example, Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Auxiliary Supplies Co., Ltd. has high hygiene requirements and minimal pollution because it produces medical supplies. Employees should wear white isolation gown and disinfect their hands when entering the operation area. The whole process has ultraviolet disinfection, air conditioning and ventilation, and fly-killing lights. The non-manufacturing environment of aviators is also better than that of Danlis Clothing Company and Jinglisi Printing and Dyeing Company, and the workshop of Danlis Clothing Company is very noisy. Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd., as a state-owned enterprise restructuring company, is doing better. Employees have safety training before taking up their posts, and the senior management representative is responsible for the safety and health work of the company. In the production of blown film, the raw materials should be changed to minimize pungent odor and pollution. The workshop can kill flies. But in many specific industries, such as Hangzhou Glass Factory, textile mills are not only noisy, but also hot and stuffy, with a strong chemical smell. But workers are often troublesome and don't wear masks, so it doesn't matter.
5. Social welfare and security
In the company, the trade union can best safeguard the rights and interests of employees. In the first ten years, only 3000 non-public and private enterprises in our province established trade unions. At present, it has increased to more than 26,000, with wage negotiation enterprises178,000. Now, trade unions pay attention to the implementation rate of collective contracts and ensure the annual salary increase of employees. Indeed, Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Auxiliary Equipment Co., Ltd. will be established soon, although there is no trade union yet. Indeed, the establishment of trade unions is the inevitable development trend of every enterprise with different nature. Employees generally have to sign labor contracts and trade union collective contracts, so as to better safeguard their rights and interests. Both Hangzhou Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd. and Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Auxiliary Equipment Co., Ltd. said that employees of the company do not need to pay a deposit, but Hangzhou Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd. needs to keep the original employee ID card. Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Auxiliary Equipment Co., Ltd. also proposed that according to the requirements of ISO9000, employees should provide birth certificates, education certificates, resumes, professional qualification certificates and health certificates. Both companies will conduct on-the-job training before new employees join the company, and Hangzhou Guangxin Plastic Co., Ltd. will conduct written examinations for employees; Hangzhou Shiyuan Medical Auxiliary Equipment Co., Ltd. will arrange training in the second half of the year according to the needs of employees in the first half of the year. Although there is no need to sign a training agreement, the company will sign a restrictive contract with employees before training in order to ensure that talents are not lost at will. Although it is not very democratic, it also gives employees the right to education.
At present, there are three living security lines in our province:
Five risks (pension, medical care, work injury, maternity, career)
Supplementary insurance (medical auxiliary insurance)
Third, assistance (serious illness, special disease, family difficulties)
For the first one, all companies handle it for employees, but the second one is the fund system pioneered by Hangzhou and Ningbo in the whole country, and the scope is not large.
5. Discrimination
In real life, the high cost of living and the lack of labor security directly lead to the difficulty in recruiting workers. A private enterprise in Cixi City actually offered a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan when recruiting for ordinary business hours. Compared with local workers, migrant workers are usually not entitled to reasonable treatment. The survey results of Ningbo City Dispatch Team show that in the past year, the average annual income of migrant workers in Ningbo is115 yuan, which is far lower than the average wage and per capita disposable income of employees in Ningbo, and 5 1% of them have an annual income of less than 8,000 yuan and 3,000-/kloc-. From the perspective of consumers, housing expenditure is second only to consumption. 63% of the respondents can only rent a house in the suburbs, and only 10% rents a house in the urban area. Many migrant workers lack labor security, and only 29.3% of them can get overtime allowance. In contrast, their average working hours per week exceed 56 hours, much higher than the 40 hours of urban workers, and 90% of migrant workers do not enjoy weekends.
Overview: SA8000 advocates protecting the environment and workers while developing the economy. Enterprises should not take profit as the sole goal, but should bear corresponding social responsibilities, which is called "giving the market economy a humanistic color". If we only rely on the moral consciousness of enterprises to assume the responsibility to society and stakeholders, this constraint is undoubtedly extremely fragile for developing countries that have just begun to pursue interests. According to the regulations, foreign-funded enterprises and state-owned joint-stock enterprises can do relatively well, but for many private and private enterprises, there are bigger shortcomings, which are reflected in the above. Developed countries solved environmental problems in the 1920s. At present, China still gains economic growth at the expense of the environment. Low cost can indeed generate foreign exchange for the country. If the environmental loss is calculated alone, the cost will be high. SA8000 can also promote the further improvement of workers' welfare and the improvement of working environment, change the concept of "cheap labor", and help optimize the humanistic environment in China. It is a fact that hundreds of millions of workers in China have benefited from economic growth; Another fact is that the improvement of working conditions in China lags behind economic growth. With China's entry into WTO, its foreign trade business is becoming more and more international, and it is subject to various forms of trade barriers from the West, among which SA8000 is one. The objective fact is that since 1995, at least 8,000 factories in the coastal areas of China have been audited by multinational corporations. Some enterprises have won more orders because of their good performance, and some enterprises have been disqualified as suppliers because they have not improved their sincerity. As an international standard, SA8000 is indeed a severe challenge for developing countries, especially for China, a country with abundant labor resources, labor-intensive industries occupying a large proportion in the industrial structure, and the labor production environment and conditions of many enterprises need to be improved. According to the provisions of SA8000, if the manufacturer fails to meet its requirements, the relevant importer can stop the import of products. This will be a greater loss for exporters. Therefore, domestic enterprises and government departments should respond as soon as possible, improve the comprehensive competitiveness of enterprises and break through new trade barriers.
Establishing corporate social responsibility management system is the only way for enterprises to implement SA8000 certification, and the implementation of SA8000 certification is a barrier for foreign trade to proceed smoothly. Enterprises should take a long-term view and don't miss business opportunities by grasping short-term profits. The certification system of SA8000 is not a dispensable public welfare cost, but a necessary investment that can reduce environmental risks, promote competitiveness and enhance added value, and should be a new competitive resource.
Government's countermeasures against SA8000;
Formulate export sustainable development strategy
Establish a unified and standardized product certification and accreditation system
Establish SA8000 early warning mechanism
Give play to the role of intermediary organizations such as trade associations and import and export chambers of commerce.
Strengthen the research, publicity, training and popularization of SA8000 knowledge.
Strengthen the research on SA8000, so that enterprises can establish a sense of crisis and consciously improve labor standards.
Increase the labor wage cost of export products and improve the labor treatment in China. Take the lead in introducing SA8000 social responsibility standard.