A fundamental part of effective forced labor due diligence is providing workers access to remedy through effective grievance mechanism where workers feel safe to report on any violation of their rights at the workplace. When core or egregious violations of worker rights have been discovered, companies should provide for or cooperate in remediation when appropriate.
The RLI enables our members and their suppliers with both tools, guidance and a community of practice to establish effective grievance mechanisms as well as provide well-informed, fair remediation. As an example, the reimbursement of recruitment fees and other related costs to workers is a critical activity in this stage of due diligence. To support a collective approach to remedy in this area, the RBA and RLI have published a Practical Guide on Due Diligence on Recruitment Fees in International Supply Chain, which provides practical guidance on implementing a “no-fees” policy. The Guide covers all stages of due diligence on recruitment fees, with a special focus on remediation. This is in addition to providing important supporting resources to ensure remediation is fair and scalable, such as critical recruitment corridor-related fee data and contextual information in the RBA Labor Migration Corridor Database.
In addition, the RLI provides grievance channels for workers in member companies in several ways. First, the RBA provides RLI members and their suppliers in Malaysia access to an independent worker helpline called “Suara Kami.” For more information, please click here.
In addition to the helpline, the RBA recently launched RBA Voices, a worker voice platform that helps members and their suppliers connect with workers in more ways to provide feedback and learn important professional and personal skills while providing companies with greater visibility into facilities. The Platform features a worker survey tool, audit support, a mobile learning app, and a grievance reporting mechanism. Learn more about the Worker Voice Platform here.
