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COSATU
Code of Conduct for Multinational Companies Investing in South Africa

1. Preamble

Parties should recognise:
(a) The vast inequalities of income, wealth and education created between racial groups by apartheid (b) The need to abolish all apartheid legislation and practice (c) The influential role played by multinational companies in world economies.

2. General Policies

Companies must agree to:
(a) Abide by all ILO Conventions as minimum standards (b) Increase employment opportunities (c) Abide by social and labour laws and regulations of South Africa as a minimum, and actively implement improvements to these (d) Disclosure of information.

3. Employment Creation

Companies will endeavour to increase employment opportunities as a priority in harmoney with national social development policies. They will use technologies which generate employment, both directly and indirectly.

4. Equality of Opportunity and Treatment

Companies shall pursue policies designed to promote equality of opportunity and treatment in employment, with a view to eliminating any discrimination based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, physical disability or handicap. They shall also implement affirmative action programmes to redress the effects of past discrimination and the legacy of apartheid.

5. Security of Employment

Companies should promote security of employment.

6. Training and Adult Basic Education

Companies should ensure that relevant training is provided for all levels of employees within a national framework. Training/Adult Basic Education (ABE) should meet the needs of people and be in the interests of the country. All technological change or progress should be linked to training. All training/ABE should be negotiated with the trade unions.

7. Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety

Companies must agree to:

(a) Maintain the highest standards (b) Negotiate health, safety and environmental agreements with the trade unions (c) Permit no dumping of toxic waste (d) Implement an environmentally sustainable development policy (e) Take responsibility for environmental damage to the community.

8. Science and Technology

Companies must agree to:

(a) Permit rapid diffusion of technologies (b) Grant technology licences on reasonable terms and conditions (c) Run training programmes to keep employees and the community abreast of technological developments (d) Negotiate science and technology policy with trade unions.

9. Conditions of Work and Life

Conditions of work and life offered by the company shall be not less favourable than those offered to employees in the company's country of origin.

Companies shall adopt measures to ensure that lower income groups and less developed areas benefit as much as possible.

10. Workers Rights

Workers shall have the right to organise their own independent trade unions and the companies shall in no way oppose the unionisation of their workforce.

Companies must agree to:

(a) Negotiate at company, plant, industrial level and any other level agreed with the representative trade union (b) The right of acess to company premises for trade union officials (c) Provide facilities for trade union meetings and balloting (d) Guarantee the rights of shop-stewards (e) Recognise the right to strike without dismissal, including the right to picket peacefully on company premises, no employment of strike breakers, no retaliatory lock-outs or interdicts against strikers.

1. Corporate Social Responsibility

Companies agreed that corporate social responsibility programmes will be instituted in conjunction with trade unions and the community affected. Such programmes to be designed to build self-reliance.

12. Disinvestment Should companies decide to disinvest they should do so in accordance with an agreed disinvestment procedure.

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