Responsible subcontracting approach
The Group’s priority is to retain and expand its in-house technical expertise and activities. However, there may be a certain percentage of subcontracting involved due to the features of many markets and contracts, as well as the fact that certain entities are increasingly positioned as general contractors for highly specialised or technical projects. VINCI is committed to ensuring that its subcontractors comply with the regulations in force in the countries where these companies operate.
Rolled out in 2014, VINCI’s Subcontractor Relations Guidelines set out the Group’s commitments in terms of subcontracting: safety conditions of subcontractors’ employees that are comparable to those of the Group’s personnel, sustainable business relationships, fair bidding processes, transparency in business dealings, cooperation with local companies and compliance with VINCI’s core values. The health and safety actions are presented in more detail in paragraph 4.2, “Duty of vigilance with regard to health and safety”, of the Group’s duty of vigilance plan, pages 261 to 269. Since 2018, to further strengthen its vigilance and its effective management of labour-related risks in the supply chain, VINCI has launched various initiatives to assess practices, particularly with a view to combating illegal work and preventing social risks. These initiatives are presented in paragraph 4.3.4, “Assessing the situation of subsidiaries, subcontractors and suppliers” (pages 272 to 273), and paragraph 4.3.7, “Reinforced vigilance to fight forced labour and illegal work” (pages 276 to 279), of the Group’s duty of vigilance plan.
2.3 Respect for human rights
VINCI’s human rights approach and actions are presented in detail in the corresponding section of the Group’s duty of vigilance plan (see paragraph 4.3, “Duty of vigilance with regard to human rights”, page 269 to 279).
VINCI joined the UN Global Compact in 2003 and is committed to supporting and promoting respect for human rights within its sphere of influence, and to ensuring that Group companies are not involved in human rights abuses. To define its strategy, VINCI refers to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the International Labour Organisation’s fundamental conventions and the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
VINCI has adopted these principles in line with its activities and analysed the risks to which third parties may be exposed in connection with its operations. The key issues identified were grouped into five categories, themselves divided into 17 themes, covering the entire life cycle of projects (from responses to calls for tenders to entry into service and operations). These five categories are: (a) recruitment practices and migrant workers, (b) working conditions, (c) living conditions, (d) practices relating to human rights within the value chain, and (e) relations with local communities.
Drawn up in 2017, VINCI’s Guide on Human Rights is a Group-wide reference document that sets out the issues identified and presents a shared set of guidelines, indicating the specific approaches to be adopted to prevent the key risks for third parties in each of these 17 areas. This guide, which applies to all Group employees and is available in more than 20 languages, was presented to the European Works Council and approved by VINCI’s Executive Committee.
Recruitment and migration
Working conditions
Living conditions
Value chain
Local communities
This approach and its implementation are being led by a dedicated committee, set up in 2015, which brings together human resources directors from all the Group’s business lines and divisions. Each of its members is responsible for the rollout of the approach within their scope, taking into account the specific features of its activities and sites. A dedicated team in the Group Human Resources Department supports the business lines and divisions, develops mapping and assessment tools, and monitors emerging developments in various fields.
A range of tools support the operational implementation of this approach and assist the teams with the application of these guidelines. They include training modules, country-level risk maps and a performance assessment tool. To date, risk maps have been drawn up for 29 countries with support from an external provider and 98 subsidiaries or active projects have been assessed in 38 countries, covering a total of over 30,000 employees. Depending on the assessment’s findings, action plans are prepared and put in place as part of a continuous improvement approach.