Step 4: Communicate and Train Across a Supply Chain

Header Photo Credit: Christina Morillo_Pexels

Key Points:

The following stakeholders should receive training: Workers and Trade Unions, Vendors and Agents, Management and Supervisors, and Human Resources Staff

Effective communication is an important aspect of any worker-driven social compliance program and helps to ensure that key supply chain partners understand and implement codes of conduct.
Training and communication, capacity building, and an emphasis on continuous improvement have been found to be the most effective path to sustaining progress toward greater compliance.
High-quality training should be targeted to different stakeholders, including those beyond the first tier, including:
- Company employees.
- Vendors or agents, if applicable.
- Suppliers at various tiers of a supply chain.
- Labor brokers, recruiters, and employment agencies, if applicable.
- Workers and trade unions.
- Communities and civil society groups.
It is important to note that in some industries some workers may not be literate. Workers who are illiterate be informed verbally of their rights.
Note that Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) is a good entry point for companies to begin engaging their suppliers on issues of human rights, including identifying and remediating cases of child labor and forced labor and acceptable conditions of work.
- OSH is viewed as a technical issue for which improvements benefit both employers and workers.

What Topics Should a Company’s Training and Capacity Building Cover?

The company’s training and capacity-building must be led by and provided to actors outside the company, including trade unions, workers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations, and civil society organizations. Below are guidelines for the trainings and capacity-building programs: