The October member meeting took place in Shanghai and was co-hosted hosted by one of our supplier members, adm Group. Responsible recruitment was one of the focus topics of this meeting, with IOM and RBA providing a deep-dive into a migrant worker’s journey, the various elements of what constitutes recruitment fees, as well as the tools and partnerships that both organisations can offer to companies in this space. The Ethical Toy Programme presented what they are doing on worker well-being in the APAC region, including a fully operational grievance hotline, and practical programmes to help migrant workers connect better with their families.
Member discussions took place around the perennial problem of excessive working hours and what companies can do to mitigate the issue, as well as how to encourage uptake by workers and companies in China of social insurance schemes.
The member meeting was followed by an AIM-PROGRESS supplier event, sponsored by Clorox, Kimberly-Clark, L’Occitane, Mars, Orkla, and SC Johnson. More than 200 suppliers from China attended the session which included specific deep-dive workshops on (1) health & safety, (2) wages, benefits & working hours and (3) contract labour management.
