| Salient issue | Description | Themes |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Labour migration and recruitment practices | 1. Labour migration and recruitment practices Description In the course of their activities, VINCI companies may recruit migrant workers, whether directly or through temporary employment agencies. The situation of these migrant workers can reflect a range of scenarios, depending on the conditions of their migration. Due to varying recruitment practices and national legislation on migration, risks of serious breaches of the rights of migrant workers, such as the risk of forced labour, might arise. |
1. Labour migration and recruitment practices Themes
|
| 2. Working conditions | 2. Working conditions Description This issue relates to potential breaches of fundamental employment rights that could result from a lack of vigilance concerning working conditions, such as wages and their payment, number of hours worked, paid holidays and employment benefits, and restrictions to freedom of association. Given the nature of the Group’s activities, employee health and safety is a separate important issue, which has been specifically addressed by the Group and its various entities for many years. |
2. Working conditions Themes
|
| 3. Living conditions | 3. Living conditions Description Group companies may supply accommodation to workers, due to the size, location or mobile nature of certain projects or worksites. In these cases, employers must ensure that the living conditions provided to workers guarantee their physical security and safety and satisfy their fundamental needs. |
3. Living conditions Themes
|
| 4. Human rights practices in the value chain | 4. Human rights practices in the value chain Description This issue concerns the monitoring of subcontractors and the living and working conditions of their employees or temporary staff on sites. VINCI considers that its challenges and those faced by its subcontractors are identical. It pays special attention to health and safety issues. |
4. Human rights practices in the value chain Themes 14. Recruitment practices, working and living conditions of subcontractor employees and temporary staff, and management of labour-related risks in the supply chain |
| 5. Local communities | 5. Local communities Description Construction and infrastructure operation projects can impact local communities and nearby residents. Customers, concession holders and construction companies all share responsibilities and must work in close collaboration to identify, avoid or mitigate them (for example, impacts on the daily lives and livelihoods of nearby residents). |
5. Local communities Themes
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Based on this risk map, VINCI developed VINCI’s Guide on Human Rights (www.vinci.com/vinci.nsf/en/item/guide-on-Human-rights.htm), which forms the backbone of its work in this area. It presents guidelines to be followed by the Group’s entities, all businesses and countries combined, for each issue and theme. These guidelines cover the entire project life cycle, from the response to the call for tenders to the preparation of sites and construction, until the commissioning and operating phases. They were designed to be adapted to the on-the-ground reality of each sector and activity, so that entities can anticipate risk factors as early as possible and design practical responses to prevent human rights risks. The guide is distributed with an annexe describing the main issues in detail, explaining the challenges involved and offering concrete recommendations and best practices to better support employees.
This framework document, published on the VINCI website, was validated by the Group’s Executive Committee in April 2017, after consulting with the European Works Council, which approved the policy. The implementation of human rights policy is presented annually to the Board of Directors’ Strategy and CSR Committee and discussed with the European Works Council.
It has been broadly disseminated to employees and presented to every management committee in the Group’s business lines and divisions, and continuous efforts are made to build awareness. VINCI’s internal control survey for 2021 showed that by the end of September, 95% of the entities surveyed, all business lines and divisions combined, had communicated about the Guide to their employees, a 2-point improvement over the previous year. An action plan is being developed for the remaining entities. To facilitate the adoption and dissemination of the guidelines, the guide was translated into 23 languages, thereby covering more than 98% of the Group’s workforce, based on the official languages of the countries where the Group operates.
95%
of entities in VINCI’s internal control survey have disseminated VINCI’s Guide on Human Rights
The Group’s Human Resources Director, who is a member of the VINCI Executive Committee, pilots human rights policy with the support of the Group’s top management and the Human Rights Steering Committee, which was maintained after completion of the guide. As VINCI’s management is highly decentralised, the steering committee facilitates decision-making, discussion and collaboration among the Group’s business lines and divisions. Members keep their respective management committees informed and are in charge of disseminating and rolling out policy in their respective business lines and divisions. At every meeting, the steering committee assesses the progress made regarding the human rights component of the duty of vigilance plan. The teams working in the field to ensure the respect of human rights are primarily the Group’s human resources professionals, as well as its operational managers, who occupy key roles in the Group’s organisation and uphold the Group’s commitments inside companies and projects.
The implementation of human rights policy is coordinated by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Department, reporting to the Human Resources Department. The CSR Department shares its expertise with business lines and divisions to help them incorporate and implement Group measures, develop risk-mapping and assessment tools, evaluate subsidiaries, train and build awareness among employees and management committee members and communicate with Purchasing, Internal Control, Ethics and Vigilance, Security, Health and Safety Coordination and other departments. The team is in frequent contact with interested external parties to address identified issues, answer questions and provide further information about the measures taken in the Group.
