Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and 7 General Codes of Conduct Essay

Since the adherence to international social standards has become a mandatory requirement in the international business arena, the local suppliers have to be compliant to these standards in order to remain in business. There have been some significant revisions to the Bangladesh Labor Law in 2006. This newly revised law already covers a lot of the common standards like employment conditions, occupational health and safety issues as well as the ILO core labor standards. Besides being complaint to the national labor law, the suppliers must also adhere to the international standards. These international standards may be defined through their individual buyers’ codes of conduct or general codes of the conduct. Compliance to the buyers’ codes of conduct is mandatory but compliance to the general codes of conduct is optional unless the buyer accepts a specific general code as a substitute for its own audits or requirements. These voluntary monitoring or verification initiatives have taken root since the 1990s to add legitimacy and credibility to companies’ social and environmental compliance programs. The comparative analysis shows that the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 significantly covers majority of the requirements of the different general codes of conduct. This indicates that if a factory is 100% compliant to the national law, it will cover approximately 85% of the requirements of the other general codes of conduct. Hence RMG factories should be encouraged to improve their compliance with the national law as a first step towards meeting the compliance demands of the brands and retailers who they supply to. The analysis does reveal that a few requirements are not fully or partially covered by the national labor law. It should be noted that the components which are not fully covered by the Bangladesh Labor Law are either covered by the Bangladesh Constitution or are not directly applicable in the Bangladesh context. This study clearly reveals that the revised Bangladesh Labor Law along with other supporting national legislations such as the Bangladesh Building Code and the Environmental Conservation Rules as well as the overall constitutional framework of Bangladesh, provides a comprehensive guideline for factories in the RMG sector to comply with majority of all international social compliance and environmental standards. By being 100% compliant with the national labor law, a supplier has significantly met majority of the international requirements. The Bangladesh Labor Law has gone through some majority revisions in 2006 which has made it into a strong piece of legislation. However, it is not still 100% perfect. There are still few gaps and lackings which need to be adjusted and amended in the future. As implementation of the revised law is ongoing, numerous other deficiencies might gradually be identified over time. Since recent revisions just took place, another series of revisions are not anticipated in the near future. This comparative analysis of the newly revised Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct clearly illustrates where the commonalities and differences are. Overall, the recent revisions to the Bangladesh Labor Law and other national legislations that are associated with the RMG sector such as the Bangladesh Building Code and the Environmental Conservation Rules jointly provide comprehensive guidelines for RMG suppliers to manufacture and export products under socially and environmentally responsible working conditions which also meet majority of all prevailing international standards. 2. 1 General Codes of Conduct Definition of Codes The interest in the social situation of workers in developing countries has increased constantly over the last years in particular under civil societies and consumers in the industrialized countries. Social criteria have become an important part of consumer and investment decisions of individuals and organizations and therefore also big brands and retailers become more aware of compliance to social standards. Since Bangladesh is part of 1 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct he global market social compliance is extremely relevant for the export-oriented industry of Bangladesh, especially for the RMG sector. For competitiveness in the global markets, the compliance with environmental and social standards is a key point. Through modern information and communication technologies the economic activity of companies becomes increasingly transparent and makes it easier for the civil society to uncover and communicate social and ecological failure of multinational companies. Companies know about the vulnerability of their brand names and messages concerning bad working conditions can easily damage their image as well as the market position. A social responsible management policy is therefore in the long-term interest of the enterprise. However companies can have a positive influence on the economic development in the target countries through the introduction of social standards and on the same time improve their image and market share through social and ecologically responsible behavior. To address these issues voluntary monitoring or verification initiatives have taken root since the 1990s to add legitimacy and credibility to companies’ labor compliance programs. They are all voluntary, meaning that companies opt to participate in them. Each requires member companies to adopt its respective workplace code of conduct and verifies that they have complied with organizational requirements. Today, some industries have developed or are developing codes for the entire industry. That can be best seen for the apparel and footwear sector. General Codes of Conduct as well as buyers’ codes are very common in this industry. These codes of conduct are rules, which companies impose upon themselves in order to embody social and ecological goals in the enterprise. Companies formulate these rules mostly for itself and partly also for the suppliers and orient themselves with the formulation at the international regulations and agreements already mentioned. Codes of conducts may also be recognized as useful instruments to build on the companies’ image. A lot of companies are participating in this initiatives to show their interests in improving the working conditions of their business partners/suppliers across the global. Fair trade and buying practices are a competitive advantage for many businesses. The codes show their commitment to this process. Codes of conduct may be developed through a multistakeholder approach such as ETI etc. or companies may have their own codes of conduct which are specific for their suppliers or codes could be sector specific such as for garments, food, electronics etc. 2. 2 Basis of codes Social compliance can be measured in relation to a certain standard. Concerning environmental and quality management a multiplicity of standards and certification systems already exist. The introduction of examinable social standards represents however a new challenge. Internationally recognized social standards exist, e. g. ? United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights UN Convention on Children’s Rights UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women ? ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work ? Rio Declaration on Environment and Development However these are guidelines and recommendations which can be converted voluntarily. Standards that can be certified only exist to a small extent. Most of the codes refer to these mentioned international standards, especially the ILO core labor standards. The ILO formulates international standards in the form of conventions and recommendations setting minimum standards of basic labor rights: Freedom of association The right to organize 2 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct Collective bargaining Abolition of forced labor Equality of opportunity and treatment Besides the above mentioned standards, there are other standards regulating conditions across the entire spectrum of the work related issues. These principles are concretized in eight ILO conventions, in each case two for the four fundamental principles mentioned (see table 1). The ILO conventions are obligatory only if they are ratified by the member states. The entire number of the ratifications increased in the last years noticeably and varies – depending upon convention – in the order of magnitude between 148 and 172. Until July 2007, 128 countries had ratified all eight conventions. Bangladesh has ratified seven out of the eight core conventions. Table 1: ILO Core-Conventions and ratifications in Bangladesh1 Standard Freedom of association and bargaining Elimination of forced and compulsory labor Elimination of discrimination Abolition of child labor Convention Convention 87 (Freedom of association) Convention 98 (Right to organize; collective bargaining) Convention 29 (Forced labor) Convention 105 (Abolition of forced labor) Convention 100 (equal remuneration) Convention 111 (employment and occupation) Convention 138 (Minimum age) Convention 182 (worst forms of child labor) Ratification Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Codes of practice develop frequently from public pressure or are preventively developed. In addition to the mentioned core labor standards these codes include general working conditions like occupational health and safety, minimum wages, leave days and working hours. Other common aspects include women’s rights or environmental standards. Also the implementation of a management system can be a requirement. 2. 3 How codes evolved The overall aim of social standards is to protect the workers. During the industrialization in Europe they evolved as a reaction to bad working conditions in the newly emerging factories. The depletion of large parts of the workforce moved child labor, forced labor, freedom of association and collective bargaining as well as women’s rights in the centre of public attention. Socially responsible behavior – this means also ecologically responsible behavior – has its starting point predominantly in the developed industrialized countries. The observance of social standards must be further supervised also in these countries. The by far larger action needs lie however in developing and emerging countries. Through the increasing world-wide division of labor large parts of the production chain are located in developing countries which have deficits with the observance of social standards. While working abroad companies are supposed to be compliant to the legal regulations. In developing and emerging countries legal regulations do not always correspond to the domestic standards of the companies. So it can be difficult for companies to combine national legislation and generally recognized basic values. Even if the legislation in developing and emerging countries corresponds to the standards of the industrialized countries there are deficits in monitoring and implementation of the standards. 1 Refer to the ILO website: http://www. ilo. org/ilolex/english/docs/declworld. htm. 3 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct However an internationally defined and recognized social standard does not exist. Thus different stakeholder came up with the idea of codes of conduct to verify the compliance to international social standards. Social standards are extremely important in an industrialized world. Nowadays due to financial benefits, most companies outsource their production to developing countries where compliance to social standards is not as important. The problem is that consumers and respective governments ask for socially responsible behavior and working conditions and often the suppliers and governments of the developing countries cannot enforce or ensure compliance to these international standards. This issue has become a concern for the companies located in Europe and the USA and hence the companies came up with formulating codes of conduct which their suppliers have to adhere to if they want to do business with them. Companies started off by developing their own codes of conduct. Then gradually as the codes evolved, many companies teamed up with NGOs, trade unions, academia etc. to formulate common codes of conduct. Most general codes of conduct were developed with this multistakeholder approach. 2. 4 †¢ Classification of codes epending upon the standards they contain (all codes have similar requirements but differ in the definitions/design and some have also additional requirements e. g. waste management or anti-bribery policy); depending upon which organization or institution introduced the code and who controls the observance (companies, enterprise federations, trade unions, NGOs, management consultations or testing institutes); depending upon their members and their prevalence. Within these four categories subjects were identified as well as indicators to measure the implementation and coverage of the subjects. The indicators were selected according to the most common aspects of the general codes as well as the Bangladesh Labor Law. 2 Please refer to Annex I for a broad overview on the general codes of conduct. 4 A comparative analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and seven general codes of conduct Subjects of Codes of Conduct ILO Core Labor Standards Employment Conditions Occupational Health and safety

Demographics Paper

The expected growth of the aging population in Louisiana is expected to grow and will have a tremendous impact on our healthcare system in the years to come. In the past, the increased growth of the aging population was not a problem. Presently it is becoming a problem. One major impact is the need for health care workers. Healthcare workers are decreasing because physicians and other health care workers are retiring. When people get older, they also need more healthcare services. The demand for healthcare services is growing because of the older adult population. Baby boomers from years ago are growing and maturing. In the meantime, fertility rates are declining. This is what is leading to the increased aging population in Louisiana. The aging population is living longer because of new technologies extending their years. Demographics are constantly changing and so are healthcare costs in result. The government is implementing plans to tackle the problems associated with the aging population. It is not an easy task. It is very challenging and difficult to implement successful changes. However, the future is looking very good for the aging population if the government can provide solutions to the barriers caused from the growth of the aging population. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, â€Å"the percentage of persons in Louisiana 65 and older is 12. 3%. † Statistics show how much of an impact the aging population has on health care services and costs. â€Å"The aging of the population of Louisiana is one of the most important demographic trends affecting the state. Estimates show that Louisiana has approximately 436,992 caregivers, who provide more than 468 million hours of care valued at more than $4. 6 billion. † That goes to show just how important it is that fertility rates increase. We are in desperate need for health care workers to care for the aging population (U. S. Census Bureau, 2007). † Not only are we in need for workers, but we are also losing money as the aging population increases. Louisiana is now facing a serious problem that could seriously affect the population and healthcare costs. â€Å"Louisiana’s birth rate is declining, which means our state is aging (Jones, 2007). † Th e number of elderly people is continuing to grow. The numbers of births are continuing to decline. The only solution is to increase fertility rates by having more babies. The impending growth of the elderly population will require Medicare and Medicaid services to change based on the needs of the population. In recent years, healthcare costs were much lower. Healthcare costs have increased because of the need for services among the elderly population. The changing patterns will focus on the needs of the patient. When health care costs go up, many citizens are unable to afford health insurance. Therefore, many patients will go untreated because they are unable to pay for their healthcare costs. There are two problems here. Patients are going without care and their health problems and conditions could get worse because of a lack of healthcare. According to Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, 2004, â€Å"at the current rate of growth of health care costs and with the population aging, assuming no fundamental changes, 28% of the American economy will be spent on health care by 2030. More than one-third of national health care expenditures are currently attributable to people 65 or older. In the next 20 years, half of all health care encounters will involve older adults. † These statistics show just how much a change is needed regarding our healthcare system and the aging population. It is becoming very difficult for healthcare organizations to plan for such a change. The community has been working to address challenges associated with the aging population. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, 2005, â€Å"figures show that Louisiana will add 333,675 people by 2030, increasing the total population to 4. 8 million. But higher growth rates elsewhere will drop Louisiana from the 22nd most populist state in the nation to 26th by 2030. † This has already begun to happen. Another thing that Louisiana is doing to address major challenges is increasing the wages for healthcare workers. When there is a shortage of jobs, graduate students see this as a golden opportunity to make more money. It gives students motivation and encouragement to get into the field right away. Louisiana is making positive moves to change the way it uses federal Medicaid funds as well. The community is making every effort to combat the problems associated with the aging population, such as the increased health care costs, infertility rates, and need for health care workers. Implementing these changes in Louisiana will be very effective and create a healthy population growth. Chronic disease wellness programs are a great way to decrease healthcare costs and improve healthcare productivity. Because of the rise in health care costs, the government is looking for new strategies to lower healthcare costs. Researchers believe that chronic wellness programs are the answer. â€Å"Wellness programs have proved to be cost effective and the return on investment has been well worth the initial cost (David, 2010). † Helping the aging population develop a healthy lifestyle increases productivity and lower health care costs and insurance premiums. If we do not create chronic disease wellness programs, we will not gain anything. As a matter of fact, we will be paying more for insurance and set back from improved productivity. The need for lowered healthcare costs is pushing government officials to implement chronic disease wellness programs throughout the state and the country. â€Å"Health promotion programs or Wellness programs are geared to improve employee's physical, emotional, and psychological health (David, 2010). † It is better to spend a little money to gain a lot of money instead of losing money due to the lack of healthcare knowledge and motivation of patients and employees. Chronic disease wellness programs improve cash flows for organizations and also keep people healthy. Many people decide to change their lifestyles after these interventions. These programs provide so many great benefits that it would be foolish for the government to reject or ignore them. The aging population is more likely to need healthcare products and services as they age. â€Å"Unfortunately, elderly adults are often confronted with sales gimmicks, advertisements, telephone solicitations, or mailings that promote products that have no value in treating a physical or psychological problem and can, at times, actually be harmful to the individual (Ryder, 2011). It is important for the older generation to feel safe and secure buying the necessary products to help with their medical conditions. In order to market products to patients, organizations can promote them through doctor’s offices. This way the patient knows that the organization selling the product is not a scam. If the product is not being sold through the doctor’s office, the patient can always ask his or her doctor if the product being used is safe to use. When marketing a product, I would point out to the patient that the product is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved. This will let the patient know that the product is safe to use and does work to treat medical problems. As the young generation grows old, there is an increased need for services and products. The aging population usually have many more doctor visits, prescription drugs, need for beds in hospitals, need for healthcare services and products than the young generation. This is driving healthcare costs up at a remarkably increasing rate. There are many challenges being faced by the aging population and healthcare organizations because of people growing old. Louisiana has a desperate need for more health care workers and more births in order healthcare costs. Growing old is what is causing this. The community is trying to come up with solutions to decrease healthcare costs and promote the need for more healthcare workers. A couple solutions have already been made, such as offering more money to college students who are inspiring to be healthcare professionals, adopting chronic disease wellness programs, increasing fertility rates, and watching how Louisiana spends their Medicaid funds. It is crucial for us to consider how we will be able to care for the aging population and at what cost. As one’s body becomes frail, older adults are highly likely to be in and out of health care settings for medical care. Health care professionals must be able to provide quality care to the elderly based on their individual needs. A more viable elder healthcare system is essential. The population is growing faster than the economy. Louisiana and its communities are facing many challenges as the population ages. However, there are many steps being taken by government that will help improve our healthcare system and services being provided to patients. It is a difficult process, but in the end is more than worth it.

Psycho-social Oppression in George Orwell's 1984 Essay

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Impact of Culture on International Business Essay - 1

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US and Vietnam War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

US and Vietnam War - Essay Example The final contingent of the U.S. commitment departed Vietnam 60 days after the signing, but the level of violence between Vietnamese adversaries did not significantly decline; no peace came to Vietnam. In the United States, Watergate was changing from amber to red, and as his presidency unraveled in 1973, President Richard Nixon's secret commitments to South Vietnam's President Nguyen Van Thieu were rendered meaningless. Less than two years later, faced with funding a $722 million budget supplement, the U.S. Congress showed little interest in providing military equipment or financial support to America's longtime ally, South Vietnam. On April 30, 1975, South Vietnam ceased to exist. For most Americans, the last images of the war were of the dazed U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin carrying a folded American flag under his arm during the final evacuation from the U.S. Embassy; or perhaps the chaos surrounding the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese families from the Embassy rooftop. No one seemed interested in such critical questions as the nature of the war, why the United States chose to fight the way it did, how North Vietnam had prevailed, the relationship of political objectives to military strategy, or the lessons that could be derived from the public diplomacy and secret negotiations that had characterized so much of the conflict. The dire situation would change as scholars gained access to a series of significant declassifications of primary source documents located in archival depositories in the United States, Vietnam, China, and Russia, and as principal architects of policy-the so-called "best and brightest"-began to reflect and write on their roles during the period. In 1995, former Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara broke his own long silence on the subject with the admission that "we were wrong, terribly wrong" (McNamara & Van De Mark 1995). Another principal architect of Vietnam policy, political scientist Henry Kissinger, has generated several books that address why the United States fought in Vietnam (Kissinger 1999). We approach our topic chronologically by examining 30 years of war from 1945 to 1975-beginning with the historic Vietnamese proclamation of independence and ending with the fall of South Vietnam in April 1975. We have identified what we believe are important components of this unfolding saga, and we begin from the intellectual premise that truly understanding why the United States fought in Vietnam requires that we comprehend the roots of the conflict (before it became America's war in Vietnam) from the perspective of countries other than the United States- specifically, Vietnam, China, and the Soviet Union. After all, it was the United States that chose to fight in Vietnam's war (Young 1991). Research The disciplines of history and political science have illuminated many important aspects of the war, including presidential personality and leadership, war powers, public opinion, the role of the media, advisory processes and interactions, political dissent, and congressional-executive relations. Political science has also contributed significant theoretical advances on