Human Rights Scenarios – Food and Beverage Sector
TASK TWO: HUMAN RIGHTS DUE DILIGENCE MAPPING EXERCISE
Using the allegations levied at Food E and Comida as a guide, enter your company’s policies, assessment procedures
and management systems, for each of the listed allegations.
Company’s Policies,
Assessment Procedures and
Management Systems
Allegations
Human Rights
Food E recently updated their Employee
Handbook. One of the footnotes states that
the company would prefer if staff refrained
from wearing any religious attire and/or
symbolic jewelry whilst they are on work
premises. In response, three female
employees designed a flyer denouncing
Food E’s ‘covert discrimination tactics’ and
distributed it to all employees. Two days
later, the Director of Human Resources
issued all three employees with
‘disciplinary warnings’ for their ‘poor
performance’. The workers refute this
charge, and claim that they are being
punished for expressing their opinions.
6. Right to equality before the law, equal
protection of the law, non-discrimination
80% of Food E’s female store employees
work, on average, 55 hours per week
without overtime. They are contracted to
work 45 hours. The female workers have
complained that the excessive and
unsociable hours prevent them from
spending time with their children.
15. Right of protection for the child
While almost all the female workers
expressed they were grateful for having a
job, over half complained that the wages
were too low based on Dizeron’s high cost
of living. Food E is illegally paying less
than the Dizeron minimum wage.
It is alleged that Food E’s private security
forces and the Dizeron national police used
excessive violent force to suppress a
demonstration on the alleged poor labour
conditions in Comida’s banana plantations,
outside Food E’s head office.
At the protest two migrant workers were
dragged into one of Food E’s lorries and
driven to the local police station. They
claim that during the journey, two Food E
employees racially insulted them and one
said, ‘Our CEO knows the judge and he’ll
make sure you are sent back like the
others.’
19. Right to freedom of opinion, information
and expression
Policies
Assessment Procedures
25. Right to enjoy just and favourable
conditions of work (including rest and
leisure)
Management Systems
Policies
16. Right to marry and form a family
2. Right to liberty and security (including
freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention or
exile)
25. Right to enjoy just and favourable
conditions of work (including rest and
leisure)
2. Right to liberty and security (including
freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention or
exile)
19. Right to freedom of opinion, information
and expression
Assessment Procedures
Management Systems
Policies
Assessment Procedures
6. Right to equality before the law, equal
protection of the law, non-discrimination
Management Systems
4. Right not to be subjected to torture,
cruel, inhuman and/or degrading treatment
or punishment
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Human Rights Scenarios – Food and Beverage Sector
Company’s Policies,
Assessment Procedures and
Management Systems
Allegations
Human Rights
Plantation workers working for Comida
have complained that there are inadequate
washing facilities on site. Reports highlight
that water is sporadic and cold. Soap is
dispensed twice a month only. Once it is
used, it is not replenished. Men and
women are expected to share the same
facilities.
1. Right to life
Fifteen per cent of women working in the
Comida banana plantation have developed
thyroid cancer over the last three years,
which they attribute to the daily aerial
spraying of pesticides. Twenty of these
women were pregnant and of the twenty
women, twelve gave birth to babies with
neurological and congenital deformities.
11. Right to privacy
Last year, 50 illegal migrant workers were
found in Comida’s banana plantation from
neighbouring country, Cizeron. Plantation
managers retain the passports of all
migrant workers. Four migrant workers
approached the company’s management
to complain about their relative lower
salaries compared to the national workers.
They were threatened with dismissal and
given a written warning.
8. Right to access effective remedies
Policies
27. Right to an adequate standard of living
(Housing, Food, Water & Sanitation)
28. Right to health
Assessment Procedures
15. Right of protection for the child
Management Systems
Policies
3. Right not to be subjected to slavery,
servitude, forced labour
6. Right to equality before the law, equal
protection of the law, non-discrimination
Assessment Procedures
12. Right to freedom of movement
Management Systems
Six months ago, 60 children aged 9–12
were found working during school hours, in
the plantation alongside their parents, who
work for Comida. The company claims they
were unaware of the child labourers in their
supply chain, and that child labour is
forbidden.
29. Right to education
Policies
15. Right of protection for the child
Assessment Procedures
Management Systems
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