Company profile: JBC
Headquarters: Houthalen
Country: Belgium flemish
Founded in: 1975
Total points of sale in Europe: 100
Owned by: Family Claes
Name of CEO: Bart Claesn
Product description: casual family clothes, for women, men and children
Countries of production: Mauritius, Tunisia, Bangladesh, China (People's Republic of China), Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, Lithuania
General remark: n.a.
JBC
Bart Claes
Centrum Zuid - 2080
3530 Houthalen-Helchteren
mode(at)jbc.be
Comments CCC and proposals for action
JBC doesn’t seem to have made progress since the contacts with CCC in 2002.
Their suppliers’ standards are not sufficient since they only refer to child labour and forced labour. There are no examples of how these standards are enforced.
On internal monitoring the information given is contradictory. On the one hand JBC states internal monitoring is carried out by the buyers; on the other hand they say they do not expect the buyers to do audits. JBC said it is open to independent verification. JBC told us the questionnaire made them reflect and they said they are ready to meeting verification initiatives such as Fair Wear Foundation and also in the area of training they see the necessity and possibility to make progress.
The following evaluation of the company’s performance in terms of transparency, code implementation and monitoring of labour standards is based on the company’s response to the questionnaire from the CCC and on an additional desk study conducted by the CCC in 2007. In the section “Recent developments” you can find additional information gathered after 2007.
Transparency
JBC has responded to the CCC-questionnaire and has provided some additional documents. The company is in regular dialogue with NGOs and/or trade unions, including the CCC. Some information is disclosed about turnover and profits. The amount of salaries of the top management is not known. The information given about producer countries and the structure of the supply chain is not comprehensive. There is no sustainability report available. JBC provides neither the results of factory audits nor information about verification activities. The company does not disclose general targets for future monitoring activities.
Formal commitment to labour standards
JBC has adopted a code of conduct that requires compliance with all relevant local labour laws, but does not indicate that where local and international standards are at variance the higher standard should prevail. The code does not include a reference to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The code of conduct does not include all provisions from the ILO Core Conventions. These include the right to organise, bargain collectively and prohibit child labour, discrimination, and forced labour. JBC’s code of conduct does not apply to all workers affected by labour practices for which the company has some measure of responsibility. Beyond the ILO Core Conventions, the company is neither committed to wages in accordance with living wage principles nor with minimum wage legislation. There are no restrictions on the number of working hours per week. No mention is made of a safe and hygienic environment for the workers who produce the company’s garments and/or sportswear. The company does not explicitly require that all workers receive a regular employment contract.
Beyond the labour standards mentioned above, the company code is not precise enough on some specific issues. It does not state its commitment in relation to*:
- The provision of transitional measures that will be in the interest of the child and of her/his family where child labour is found;
- special provisions for workers under 18 years of age (e.g. education, no night work);
- specific steps to encourage decent working conditions in countries where freedom of association and collective bargaining are restricted by law;
- prohibiting the retention by employers of security deposits or identity papers;
- payment of overtime at a premium rate.
- guaranteeing a living wage during regular working hours without overtime.
- prohibiting physical abuse, threats of physical abuse, unusual punishments or discipline, sexual and other forms of harassment as well as intimidation by the employer.
- ending the the worst forms of child labour with explicit reference to ILO core-convention 182.
Code implementation and purchasing practices
JBC did not indicate the steps it is taking to effectively implement minimum labour standards in its supply chain. The code of conduct is translated into most of the languages of the countries the company is sourcing from; every buying contract states the obligation for the supplier to comply with the code. According to the information given JBC has no intention to implement the payment of living wages to workers. JBC has not shown that it is aware of the fact that part of its production sites are located in countries or zones where freedom of association is not guaranteed by law. There are no provisions to give buyers positive incentives to reward better working conditions.
Monitoring and Verification
The company is not a member of any business initiative. There is nothing known to CCC about monitoring results. The company is not involved in independent verification by a multi-stakeholder approach.
Violations of labour rights and public conflicts
There are no public urgent appeals from CCC calling on JBC to take responsibility for workers’ rights violations in its supply chain
Recent developments
n.a.