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Social Report 2006/2007

Social Report 2006/2007

GRI - SOCIAL PERFORMANCE - HUMAN RIGHTS


HR1 | HR2 | HR3 | HR4 | HR5 | HR6 | HR7 | HR8 | HR9


 HR1

Percentage and total number of significant investment agreements that include human rights clauses or that have undergone human rights screening.

We do not currently record this information on a global or an EU level but our criteria for investment in any country are that to do so is lawful, that the business is commercially viable and that it can operate to our principles, standards and accountabilities, including those relating to workplace human rights.

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 HR2

Percentage of significant suppliers and contractors that have undergone screening on human rights and actions taken.

We do not currently record this information on a global or an EU level but we do have a number of systems in place to monitor whether our suppliers respect universally recognized human rights.

With the aim of ensuring that we only purchase tobacco leaf from responsible and sustainable sources, all our leaf supply is covered by our Social Responsibility in Tobacco Production programme, which works to address the social and environmental issues associated with tobacco growing and processing, including environment, occupational health and safety standards and eliminating exploitative child labour.

Our Business Enabler Survey Tool (BEST) establishes the standards we expect from suppliers of materials other than leaf. It has 102 criteria including ethical business practices, human rights and employee welfare and environment, occupational health and safety management.

Our Philosophy for Supplier Partnerships, developed in 2005 for distribution to all key suppliers, makes clear that we expect supply partners to be aware of our policies and principles and to respect universally recognised human rights.

Through internal audit, we monitor whether our companies have effective systems in place for managing human rights in the workplace and supply chain. Our systems include a diagnostic tool to help establish whether appropriate levels of proficiency in human rights management are in place in our companies, with particular focus on "countries of concern" as defined by FTSE Good's research partner EIRIS, Ethical Investment Research Service.

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 HR3

Total hours of employee training on policies and procedures concerning aspects of human rights that are relevant to operations, including the percentage of employees trained.

We respect universally recognised human rights and our Employment Principles and Standards of Business Conduct set out how we expect our companies' workplaces to be run. We do not currently measure training dedicated to aspects of human rights, although such training does occur as part of our employees' career development programmes.

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 HR4

Total number of incidents of discrimination and actions taken. Freedom of association and collective bargaining.

We do not currently record this information on a global or an EU level but our Employment Principles make clear that we are against all forms of unfair discrimination. We seek to provide equal opportunities to each employee and will not discriminate when making decisions on hiring, promotion or retirement on the grounds of the employee's or candidate's race, colour, gender, age, social class, religion, smoking habits, sexual orientation, politics, or disability. We aim to ensure a diverse and representative workforce profile through equal employment opportunities. Our companies also observe national legislation relevant to positive discrimination.

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 HR5

Operations identified in which the right to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining may be at significant risk and actions taken to support these rights.

We do not currently record this information on a global or an EU level. However, each of our companies is encouraged to use our Human Rights Diagnostic Tool and our Human Rights Survey to identify if this risk is present in their market. Management of human rights risks forms part of our CSR checklist which is an element of our Group audit process.

Our Employment Principles specifically cover Worker Representation and Freedom of Association. They are provided to all our companies and performance against them is monitored through our internal audit process. We respect freedom of association and of non-association and acknowledge the right of employees to be represented by recognised worker representative bodies such as trades unions where such activities are practised in accordance with national law. We ensure that these bodies are able to carry out representation activities within agreed procedures and to consult with the relevant company where appropriate within the framework of applicable law, regulations, the prevailing labour relations and practices and company procedures. In countries where local legislation makes representation more difficult, additional internal employee communications efforts are made.

Our Employment Principles also make clear that we seek to encourage a climate of confidence to ensure that employees can air work-related questions and problems.

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 HR6

Operations identified as having significant risk for incidents of child labour, and measures taken to contribute to the elimination of child labour.

We do not currently record this information on a global or an EU level.

However, each of our companies is encouraged to use our Human Rights Diagnostic Tool and our Human Rights Survey to identify if this risk is present in their market. Management of human rights risks forms part of our CSR checklist which is an element of our Group audit process. The Group Child Labour Policy states that children are not to be employed within our operations and our Employment Principles state our opposition to child labour exploitation.

Our Employment Principles are provided to all our companies and performance against them is monitored through our internal audit process. We also work to tackle child labour exploitation in the tobacco growing supply chain through the Eliminating Child Labour in Tobacco Growing Foundation (ECLT), of which we were a founder member, and through specific programmes supported by our companies. We seek to ensure that, within the supply chain, the welfare, health and safety of children are paramount at all times and that practices undertaken by children for the development of vocational skills do not conflict with or impede their educational development, including school attendance.

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 HR7

Operations identified as having significant risk for incidents of forced or compulsory labour, and measures to contribute to the elimination of forced or compulsory labour.

We do not currently record this information on a global or an EU level.

However, each of our companies is encouraged to use our Human Rights Diagnostic Tool and our Human Rights Survey to identify if this risk is present in their market. Management of human rights risks forms part of our CSR checklist which is an element of our Group audit process.

Our Employment Principles state that both forced and compulsory labour are completely unacceptable within Group operations, as is the requirement to surrender identity papers or to pay deposits as a condition of employment. They also state that where national legislation or employment procedures require the use of identity documents, these will be used strictly in accordance with the local legislation and procedures and that we do not condone exploitation or the unlawful use of immigrant labour. The Employment Principles are provided to all our companies and performance against them is monitored through our internal audit process.

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 HR8

Percentage of security personnel trained in the organisation's policies or procedures concerning aspects of human rights that are relevant to operations.

We respect universally recognised human rights and our Employment Principles and Standards of Business Conduct set out how we expect our companies' workplaces to be run. Security operations are managed within strict guidelines and this is supported by global monitoring of all incidents to ensure they are handled appropriately. We do not currently measure the percentage of our security personnel undergoing formal training relating to human rights, although such training does occur as part of our security employees' career development programmes.

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 HR9

Total number of incidents of violations involving rights of indigenous people and actions taken.

We do not currently record this information on a global or an EU level but in general, our companies' operational sites are not located in areas where they have direct impacts on indigenous communities of the type, for example, that can be related to natural resources extraction. Our Employment Principles make it clear that we are against all forms of exploitation and unfair discrimination in the workforce and supply chain.

For more information on human rights see www.bat.com/humanrights.

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