-
 Viet
Tien has SA 8000 and WRAP certification, and we also apply the
CoCs of our big buyers including Nike, Adidas, FILA and JC
Penny. This year we plan to implement two major changes to
benefit our workers, which are air-conditioning in all of our
manufacturing plants and a minimum wage of VND 550,000/worker/
month.
To achieve this year's revenue target of US$20 million from our
garment manufacturing operations, the Board of Directors must
not only seek new sources of materials, markets, and machinery
but must also improve employees' working and living conditions.
We want our workers to consider themselves part of a big family
and commit themselves to achieving the company's goals.
We know that multinational companies always check to see whether
a supplier meets safety and environmental standards before
placing an order. Thus, we are proactive in applying SA 8000
because it is an internationally recognized standard that gives
our buyers a clear picture of working conditions in Viet Tien's
plants. I must admit, when we first started applying various
CoCs, our senior management and plant managers felt a certain
degree of pressure. But we set goals to meet all of our buyers'
requests, because we knew that if we did not adopt CSR standards
we could not survive. As a result of our high CSR standards,
nearly 50% of Viet Tien's export turnover has been earned from
the US market in the last two years.
Mr. Le Viet Toa, Deputy General Director
Viet Tien Garment Export and Import Company (Viet Tien)
-
 Bitis
gives priority to environmental and social responsibility and
considers it a means to increasing its competitiveness. Although
there are no official statistics on benefits of CSR within the
company, employee loyalty is a very good indication. Many of our
employees have stayed with the company for 10 to 20 years; most
stay at least 5 years. This loyalty enhances sustainability,
increases productivity, and reduces costs for recruiting and
training new employees.
Bitis has implemented many CoCs, including those of Mark Spencer
and Nexx. We are currently in the process of doing our research
about SA 8000 as we hope to export to the American market.
Through preliminary surveys, we have learned that although
multi-national companies like Wal-Mart and Pay Less have their
own CoCs, they consider SA8000 a good reference point.
Employees in Vietnamese garment and apparel enterprises, and
especially in wood processing enterprises, are working in very
polluted environments. Companies making products for the
domestic market do not usually pay attention to environment,
health, and labor standards. I think the government should
vigorously promote CSR to the general public, because informed
consumers can have an impact on the producers who are not
following good standards. I know that in Europe, enterprises
that do not implement CSR often find their products boycotted by
consumers.
Let me just add that to Bitis, we find it quite easy to
implement our buyers' CoCs and uphold high standards of CSR, as
most of these standards are required by Vietnamese law.
Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, Export Manager, Binh Tien Limited Company
(Bitis)
-
 I
think that SA 8000 offers many benefits. It contributes to
long-term health and well-being, and makes workers feel more
secure and satisfied with their working environment - a decisive
factor for an enterprise's success. In my 36 years working in
the textile industry, I have witnessed many generations of male
and female workers whose health has deteriorated due to poor
working conditions. Generally they can only work for a maximum
of 10 to 15 years. Therefore, if we don't find a way to protect
the health of workers, we will eventually lose valuable human
resources. For me this is the critical importance of CSR.
We are simultaneously applying ISO 9001, ISO 14001, SA 8000 and
OHSAS 18001 to our operations. Doing so is not at all a burden,
first because the management processes of these systems are not
that different from one another, and second because we are doing
this proactively and voluntarily to help ourselves rather than
defensively. These systems help workers by ensuring a stable
working environment and policies, no matter who is on the Board
of Directors. These systems are also periodically examined and
evaluated by a third party to ensure that the company is meeting
its promises to our workers.
CSR has not yet been implemented very widely in Vietnam because
the majority of enterprises have not seen its benefits and many
buyers do not require it yet. This is an area where the
government should be proactive. For example, as a result of
countless training courses and conferences conducted by offices
of the Ministry of Science and Technology, ISO 9000 and ISO
14000 quality management systems are widely known in Vietnam.
CSR needs to be promoted the same way. Vietnam highlight cheap
labor as our competitive advantage - in some ways it's a shame,
because [the cheap labor is a result of] our workers having low
levels of education and skills. CSR application will help
workers have better health and develop better professional
skills through training, and this, in turn, will boost
productivity and sustainability. I suggest that the government
and donors support programs that educate enterprises about CSR
and its benefits to create favorable conditions for its
application. I would also recommend to enterprises that they
should apply CSR standards to their operations, because doing so
truly does benefit both business and society.
Mr. Khieu Thien Thuat, Chairman, Coats Phong Phu
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