The goal is now to expand and share project methodology, tools and results so that they can be replicated in other countries and sectors. Accordingly, as co-chair of the B4IG’s working group on human rights and forced labour, VINCI collaborated with other members of the coalition to develop the Fair Recruitment Toolkit for Employers & Service Providers. Their work was largely inspired by the pilot project conducted with the ILO. B4IG published the toolkit on its website in September 2023 (www.b4ig.org/b4ig-publishes-its-human-rights-toolbox-on-agency-workers-and-service-providers). It contains an explanation of the issues and the risks to be prevented, as well as practical resources, such as a recruitment policy template, a sample employment offer, a recruitment agency agreement template, a checklist to detect whether recruitment fees were paid, etc. (see also paragraph 4.3.5, “Active participation in collaborative initiatives to help evolve practices”, page 273).
VINCI’s actions to combat forced labour in the construction sector are mainly carried out as part of the Building Responsibly initiative, whose principles include fighting against forced labour and promoting responsible recruitment practices. Since the initiative’s launch in 2017, VINCI has made a significant contribution to the drafting of the policy brief on recruitment and has also published a case study on its recruitment practices in Qatar (static1.squarespace.com/static/5aa2d2d82971141ff9a61ea5/t/5f2a6353be7dca54d78b8845/1596613468702/ Building+Responsibly+-+Case+on+Study+Principle+3+%28VINCI%29.pdf). At the latest meeting of Building Responsibly members, which was held in person in Singapore in October 2023, VINCI shared the B4IG toolkit with participants. The Group plans to run information sessions on using the various tools in early 2024. Responsible recruitment remains a core focus for the initiative and its members continue to engage with and address the issue.
VINCI understands that working with its peers is important, but so is raising awareness and training the next generation of engineers. The Group therefore collaborated with independent experts specialising in business and human rights to build a VINCI business case study for students. The case study contains a detailed examination of the risks of forced labour in Qatar and the measures implemented by QDVC. It has been made available to a large number of universities, in several countries, as well as the Conférence des Grandes Écoles in France and the Business and Human Rights Teaching Forum. It continued to be used in 2023. VINCI took part in the case study analysis at several French universities, bringing its experience directly to students. The Group plans to step up this effort, especially in engineering schools, which are grooming the company’s future managers.
Lastly, VINCI and QDVC continue to communicate transparently, reporting on their practices, particularly in Qatar, while sharing the vigilance measures they have taken and the challenges still to be overcome. The Group regularly provides testimonials to other companies, government authorities and customers and also participates in this manner in training programmes run by the ILO. In recent years, VINCI has been actively involved in an engagement cycle for construction companies, led by Sustainalytics. The cycle’s objective is to promote dialogue between investors and construction companies to find out how the latter combat forced labour risks and identify potential improvement areas for a more rigorous due diligence process.
QDVC and VINCI also responded without fail to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre’s surveys relating to migrant workers in the Gulf countries. QDVC’s recruitment process, working and living conditions, the risk prevention measures taken and a list of the recruitment agencies used are detailed in its public responses (www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/vinciqdvc-response-to- 2018-construction-survey-re-migrant-workers/). The latest report by the Centre (media.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/files/BHRRC-Shaky-Ground-Construction-Briefing-v1.1.pdf) ranked VINCI/QDVC first among Gulf companies, based on its transparency regarding recruitment practices, remuneration, living conditions, freedom of movement, health and safety, workers’ representation, prevention of subcontracting risks and consultation and grievance procedures. As a member of the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, VINCI supports the Employer Pays Principle and regularly provides testimonials at conferences, seminars and meetings hosted by other companies, international organisations, NGOs, public authorities, chambers of commerce and professional associations around the world.
The issues faced by VINCI are not limited to regions outside of France. Tensions in the building and civil engineering markets, combined with increased competition and labour flows in Europe, have led the Group to strengthen its duty of vigilance with regard to preventing workforce-related risks and illegal work in its supply chain in France. In 2018, VINCI launched several pilot projects in construction businesses in the Greater Paris area. These measures were then implemented at VINCI Construction throughout the rest of France before being gradually rolled out in a broader mix of business activities. The measures were also presented to the members of the European Works Council and, in 2023, several Group companies in Europe began to show interest in taking a similar approach.
The methodology followed involves three phases:
