EICC consulting — Part A: Labor

Part A of the EICC Code, covering labor, addresses recruitment, working hours, wages, treatment of workers and their voice at work. The following topics and suggested records help businesses review their practices before developing an improvement plan.

Seven labor topics to review

1. Freely chosen employment

Review recruitment practices, fees charged to workers, contracts and the ability to leave employment. Avoid retaining identity documents, debt-related restrictions or restrictions on movement that undermine voluntary employment. Explain recruitment terms in a language workers understand.

2. Protection of young workers

Verify age, maintain records and assign appropriate work. For students, interns and apprentices, review arrangements with educational institutions and protect their rights. Lawful apprenticeship programmes do not constitute permission to use child labor.

3. Working hours and rest

Compare attendance, overtime, rest days and production schedules with applicable legislation and the Code. Review actual records for direct, indirect and outsourced workers, rather than relying solely on written workplace rules.

4. Wages and benefits

Review pay rates, overtime calculations, deductions, benefits and payment dates. Payslips should be clear enough for workers to understand and check. Do not use unlawful fines or deductions as disciplinary measures.

5. Humane treatment

Establish rules to prevent violence, threats, harassment and abuse. Disciplinary procedures should be transparent, communicated and applied consistently. Workers must know where to raise concerns.

6. Non-discrimination

Review fairness in recruitment, pay, training, rewards and promotion. Medical checks and recruitment conditions must be appropriate to the work and applicable requirements, without being used in a discriminatory way.

7. Freedom of association and dialogue

Respect workers’ rights under applicable legislation and maintain channels for dialogue and concerns about working conditions. Establish processes to receive and address feedback and prevent retaliation against people who speak up.

Records and evidence to prepare

• Recruitment procedures, employment contracts and agreements with labor providers.
• Age-verification, attendance, overtime, wage and benefit records.
• Workplace rules, anti-harassment policies and records of communication with workers.
• Dialogue, grievance and case-handling records, including checks on the effectiveness of corrective actions.

Checking Vietnamese legislation

The comparison of 2013 legislation in the older article has been removed to avoid confusion with current requirements. Businesses should consult Labor Code No. 45/2019/QH14, its amendments, implementing documents and the specific conditions applicable at the time of implementation.

Download the labor-legislation list attached to the older article (DOCX) — an archived reference; check the validity of each document before use.

Related sections

• Part B — Health and Safety
• Part C — Environment
• Part D — Ethics
• Part E — Management Systems

Explore ITVC’s EICC/RBA consulting services.