Standards and conventions underlying VINCI’s approach
This analysis of risks and issues was also informed by the human rights impact assessment commissioned by VINCI in Qatar and carried out by an independent third party, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), in 2015. The impact assessment sought to identify the issues that were salient to the Group’s activities in the different sets of codified rights. Interviews were held with key VINCI stakeholders, such as the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the French National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH), the Danish Institute for Human Rights, and non-governmental organisations (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Engineers Against Poverty, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, etc.).
In 2016, the Human Rights Steering Committee validated five salient issues, broken down into 17 specific themes. They describe areas where VINCI’s activities can have a significant impact on human rights, which include those of employees, subcontractors, temporary workers, local residents and local communities.
Since their publication, the relevance of the salient issues identified has been tested by various Group entities and validated by feedback from operational teams in different countries. Furthermore, dialogue with members of the European Works Council has not led to any change in the risk map to date.
| Salient issues | 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 the risks of 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
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| 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 recruitment, working and housing 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
|
| 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 the impacts. |
5. Local communities Themes
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Based on this risk-mapping process, VINCI developed its Guide on Human Rights, (*) which forms the backbone of its human rights risk management approach. It distils the main international standards and conventions into operational practices in the Group’s activities. For each salient issue and theme, it presents guidelines to be followed by every Group entity, all businesses and countries combined. The guidelines cover the entire project life cycle, from responding to the call for tenders, site preparation and construction to commissioning and operation. They have been designed to be adapted to the on-the-ground reality of each sector and activity, so that entities can anticipate human rights risk factors as early as possible and design practical responses to prevent them. All Group employees have access to the guide and its annex, which details the main issues, along with recommendations and best practices, to better support users.
