"Gap is now viewed as a leader in the small but growing corporate movement to improve conditions for some of the world's most exploited workers."http://www.responsibleshopper.org/basic.cfm?cusip=364760See, anyone can cherry pick, maybe even from the same sites you posted, but of course you left this out. How come?
RL
Human Rights In November 2002 Cambodian union leaders credited the Gap with solving a labor problem at nation's largest garment factory, the South Korean-owned Sam Han Cambodian Fabrics, which is an independent contractor that employs 9,000 people and produces cotton, wool and cashmere sweaters for Gap. A spokesperson from the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers said that workers at the factory had been beaten by hired thugs, offered bribes by management to stop their union organizing, and even shot at. According to the spokesperson nothing was done until "we complained to Gap." A Gap official from the Philippines helped forge an agreement with the factory management to end the harassment of union leaders, form a grievance procedue and meet regularly with union leaders. Source: San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 12, 2002
Human Rights In May 2004, Gap published its first social responsibility report that outlined a variety of labor violations, as well steps it is taking to remedy the problems. Executives reported that Gap was taking “concrete, constructive steps” to remedy the most common violations, including health and safety problems, as well as instances of forced and coerced labor. The report also detailed other aspects of Gap’s social responsibility practices, including community giving and volunteerism Source: Ethical Corporation, May 14, 2004
Community Involvement Starting in February 2005 hundreds of Gap employees displaced for three months by extensive Colorado store remodelings are being farmed out by the company - with pay - to volunteer at local nonprofits. The employees will split their time between working at the non-profits and company training programs. The company also offers a program that allows headquarters employees five hours a month of paid time to volunteer in the community and another that contributes $150 to a nonprofit for every 15 hours an employee volunteers there. Source: The Denver Post, Dec. 22, 2004
Worker Rights The Gap has been praise for its efforts in Worker Rights:
According the the Los Angeles Times,
"Gap is now viewed as a leader in the small but growing corporate movement to improve conditions for some of the world's most exploited workers." The paper states that the company has wielded its buying power in Africa, Central America, and Cambodia to help improve factory conditions and is encouraging other manufacturers to follw suit. "No one company created these issues, and no one company can fix it by itself," said Alan Marks, Gap's chief spokesman.
Gap and the International Finance Corporation, an arm of the World Bank, have signed an agreement to provide an $80,000 year-long management training program to 650 Cambodian garment factory supervisors to improve labor relations and productivity. The Gap-IFC program, set to begin in March 2005 at seven Cambodian factories, will teach supervisors how to handle workers’ complaints and resolve conflicts between workers and employers.
In April 2004 Gap was accepted into membership in the Ethical Trading Initiative, an UK alliance promoting the implementation of international labour standards. ETI aims to ensure conditions for workers producing goods for the U.K. market meet or exceed international labor standards. The ETI alliance includes 37 corporations, 16 non-governmental organisations, and U.K. and global trade unions.
In April 2004 UNITE and Gap announced that they will support an effort by displaced garment workers in El Salvador to open that country's first independent and fully unionized apparel export factory. UNITE and Gap Inc. also said they plan to regularly discuss ways to cooperatively address garment factory issues that are of mutual concern to both organizations.
Source: Los Angeles Times, Jan. 17, 2005, CSRWire, et al
Animal Welfare The Gap has agreed to stop using leather from India, where cows are said to face cruel treatment despite their sacred status. The company has pledged to continue the ban until the government improves conditions under which the animals are transported and slaughtered for leather and meat. Source: Reuters, May 31, 2000
Charitable Giving Gap is doubling their employees’ contributions for tsunami relief through GlobalGiving, a global internet portal acting as an 'E-Bay' for social and economic growth of developing countries that has dedicated web space for relief and reconstruction within the tsunami disaster zone. Source: CSRWire
Charitable Giving In September 2004, after the devastation left by Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan, the Gap Foundation pledged $50,000 to the American Red Cross to aid its disaster relief efforts. The Foundation also announced plans to doubling matches for Gap employee contributions. The Foundation's Gift Match program, which offers a dollar-for-dollar match for all part- and full-time Gap Inc. employees around the world, was increased to match two-for-one for contributions made by employees to the American Red Cross' Disaster Relief Fund. In addition, for every 15 hours an employee volunteers with the Red Cross, Gap Foundation said it would contribute $300. Source: CSRWire
Discrimination The Gap achieved a score of 86 on the Human Rights Campaign 2005 Corporate Equality Index which rates large corporations on policies that affect their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employees, consumers and investors. The 2005 HRC Corporate Equality Index rated companies on a scale of 0 percent to 100 percent on seven factors. The company achieved a score of 86 on the organization's 2004 Corporate Equality Index. Source: Huamn Rights Campaign
Diversity The Gap has a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation. Source: Human Rights Campaign
Diversity In March 2005 the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) named Gap to its annual 30 Best Companies for Executive Women. Source: CSRWire
Diversity Since 1994, Gap has offered domestic partner health benefits to employees' domestic partners of the same sex. Source: Human Rights Campaign
Ethics Gap was one of the winners of the 16th Annual Business Ethics Awards, announced on December 13, 2004 by Business Ethics magazine. Specifically, Gap received the Social Reporting Award for “unprecedented honesty in reporting on factory conditions” in their 2004 Social Responsibility Report. Source: CSRWire
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
