Code of Conduct
Our day-to-day operations are governed by the Gildan Code of Conduct, which was developed in 2005 and updated in 2012. The Code functions as a guideline for maintaining an ethical workplace. Gildan management was very deliberate in basing these guidelines on internationally recognized standards such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions. In today’s workplace, international labour standards – conventions that are standardized globally in which companies and employees are held accountable – are an essential component of the industry.
The Gildan Code of Conduct also encompasses principles set forth by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), whose stated purpose is to protect workers' rights and improve working conditions worldwide, as well as the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production’s (WRAP) set of principles, which takes into account best practices commonly agreed upon in the area of social responsibility.
What does the Gildan Code of Conduct include?
Our Code of Conduct guides our activities at each of our global operations and clearly states our position on a wide range of labour practice issues including hours of work, gender equality, age of majority, harassment, protecting the right of freedom of association, and many other best practices that Gildan management feels are integral to both our organization and our employees.
Every employee and management team member is required to comply with the Gildan Code of Conduct.
Click here (pdf - 261.4Kb) to see our Code of Conduct in poster format.
Read more about Code of Conduct compliance.
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Code of Conduct internal training
Employees are trained on the key elements of our Code of Conduct.
Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility Managers give new direct employees a presentation on the Gildan Code of Conduct, as well as information on topics related to corporate citizenship, policies, regulations, rights and obligations. Furthermore, all new employees are provided with the details of our Code of Conduct and are required to acknowledge in writing they have read and understood all aspects of the Code of Conduct. This provides new employees with a thorough knowledge about the Gildan Code of Conduct, while also introducing them to the concept of Corporate Citizenship and the role it plays within our Company.
Ad hoc refresher courses on the Code of Conduct or on other specific topics are also provided to prevent and address potential workplace issues. For instance, in 2012, training sessions on the Code of Conduct were provided to middle management in Central America and the Caribbean Basin, as well as to the management team in Bangladesh. The Code was also communicated to all of our direct employees at the integrated facility in Bangladesh.
In September and October of 2012, all employees of Gildan’s recently acquired companies, GoldToeMoretz and Anvil Knitwear, were trained on the Gildan Code of Conduct.
Moreover, to ensure that employees remember and follow the principles outlined in the Code of Conduct as they go about their daily activities, posters reiterating key conduct principles are displayed around common areas at both Gildan owned and contractor facilities.
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Gildan Vendor Guidebook
We work with both our own facilities’ and contractors’ management teams on an ongoing basis to improve their labor compliance performance, and we also provide them with a comprehensive guidebook for their reference: the Gildan Vendor Guidebook. This guidebook is a practical tool that covers principles of the International Labor Organization convention standards and policies that must be implemented in order to protect and promote workers’ rights. Specifically, the Gildan Vendor Guidebook contains the following:
- Details on how to implement an integrated approach to meeting the Gildan Code of Conduct and labour compliance standards;
- Policies and operating procedures for each labour compliance standard;
- A management system approach to labour compliance, which outlines the benefits of adopting an integrated approach rather than an issue-focused and fragmented approach.