Human Rights
The United Nations define human rights as ‘rights inherent to all human beings regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, disability, or any other status'. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more.’ Everyone is entitled to these rights. However, across the world, individuals and groups are denied these inalienable rights and are, instead, subject to prejudice and discrimination. JSW has a moral obligation to do all that it can to both actively involve itself in the protection and enhancement of human rights in areas that are within its direct control, and to work with others to protect each and every individual’s rights and freedoms. JSW is fully committed to promote inclusivity & equality amongst everyone, prohibiting any discrimination along with safeguarding the Human Rights of all its employees. We are committed to prevent human trafficking, child labour, forced labour, harmful conditions, discrimination and harassment in our operations. We are developing a process of identifying and mapping human rights risks in our own operations, value chain as well as new business relations. Comprehensive human rights impact assessment and due diligence studies are being conducted at our operations.
SDG Mapping of JSW Steel’s Initiatives & Projects
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
- JSW believes that every human being has the right to equality and non-discrimination.
- JSW Steel respects human rights and is committed to ensuring that they are protected. To this end, the Company has a human rights policy that addresses human rights issues across the supply chain. It articulates the Company’s stand on human rights, including non-discrimination, prohibition of child and forced labour, freedom of association and the right to engage in collective bargaining.
- Officers of security agencies are trained to act in a manner that respects human rights at all times and comply with all the applicable national, state, and local laws. JSW Steel contributes to the fulfilment of human rights through compliance with local human rights legislation wherever it has operations, as well as through its policies, programmes and grievance redressal mechanism. No complaints related to child labour, forced labour, involuntary labour, or discriminatory employment were received during FY 2022-23.
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- The JSW Foundation has been helping the women to become self-aware of their true potential by bequeathing them with the clout to make decisions for their own good so they find their rightful place in the society and at the same time, contribute to the GDP fueling the economic growth of the nation.
- 5 ISO certified rural BPO (operational) and 500+ women engaged.
- Empowered women with the knowledge and skills required to work in the IT-BPO industry, across rural Karnataka and Maharashtra.
- Offering services in the areas of banking, healthcare, accounts payable services, e-publishing, etc. through non-voice BPO centres.
- Another initiative by JSW Foundation, JSW Skills School, aims to improve the employability of the youth and women by offering industry-centric courses for vocational skill enhancement
- Six JSW Skill Schools providing short-term and long-term courses
- Member of Institute Development Committee of 21 government-aided it is across India
- Organised self-help groups where rural women are trained in basic financial management to help set up a business
- Partnered with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and got permanent empanelment with Maharashtra State Skill Development Society (MSSDS)
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- JSW believes that every human being has the right to safe drinking water and sanitation. To ensure the same both for employees and the local communities, JSW has carried out various initiatives.
- JSW provides proper water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to all its employees, associates and contracted employees.
- Through the CSR projects, JSW aims to improve the sanitary living condition of the local communities along with conservation of water.
Human Rights Due Diligence
Human Rights Due Diligence assessments have been undertaken at several operational locations for both JSW Steel & JSW Energy. The methodology is aligned with guidance provided by UNDP & ICMM, as well as JSW’s ERM framework which is aligned with COSO.
The assessment broadly covers risks under the following domains of human rights:
- Labour Rights - including protection against child labour, forced labour, and human trafficking
- Minimum Wages
- Equal Remuneration
- Freedom of Association and Right to Collective Bargaining
- Environmental Rights
- Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment
- Voice and Participation
- Gender Equality
- Data Privacy
- Governance and Security
- Grievance Redressal
The key stakeholders covered while conducting HRDD are Employees, Contract Workers (including migrant workers), Local Communities/Society (including women, children, and indigenous people), Suppliers, and Customers.
The scope of the HRDD includes our own operations and supply chain, and will also be applicable in the event of a merger or acquisition. Once the risks are identified for all operations, periodic review will be carried out to map potential issues, and track progress towards mitigating salient risks identified as part of the assessment.
Security Forces
At JSW Steel, we believe that security forces play an important role in protecting the public and upholding the law. We are committed to ensuring our security forces respect human rights and operate in a manner that is consistent with international and national laws and regulations.
We approach this through the following:
- We conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential threats to the company and employees. These assessments are used to develop and implement security measures to mitigate risks.
- We work closely with both public and private security forces to protect our facilities and employees. We have clear guidelines in place for how we shall interact with the security forces.
- We monitor our security forces to ensure that they are complying with company policies and procedures. This includes monitoring their activities, reviewing their reports, and conducting inspections.
- We also have a grievance mechanism in place for employees to report concerns about the security forces. This mechanism is confidential and accessible to all employees. We also have a system in place for investigating and resolving complaints.
- We conduct audits and assess the contractors on a regular basis. This includes reviewing the contractors' training, qualifications, and experience. We also have a system in place for monitoring the contractor’s performance.
We believe that these measures will help to ensure that our security forces respect human rights and operate in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws. We are committed to continuous improvement in this area, and we will continue to work with security forces to uphold human rights.
