Bunge’s global labor policy commits us to maintaining a healthy and safe work environment for all of our employees and contractors.
In addition, we strive to root out all cases of human rights abuses in our value chains by upholding strict standards of compliance, from local and internationally-recognized conventions, to projects and activities that root out cases of abuse. Our operations and employees must comply with all applicable local laws, rules and regulations.
Forced labor
We will not use forced labor in any form. This includes prison labor, indentured labor and bonded labor.
Child labor
We will only hire employees who meet local minimum-age requirements and will not under any circumstances employ workers under 14. Apprentice and similar programs must comply with all applicable local laws and regulations.
Harassment and abuse
In a Bunge workplace people are treated with dignity and respect. We will not tolerate any form of harassment or abuse.
Nondiscrimination
Employment at Bunge will be based on job-related qualifications and skills.
Health and safety
We will maintain a safe and healthy work environment that complies with all applicable local laws and regulations. Our employees will abide by Bunge’s global safety policies.
Freedom of association and right to collective bargaining
We will respect these rights.
Wages, benefits and work hours
We will comply with all wage and compensation requirements as defined under applicable local laws and regulations for regular work, overtime, maximum hours and other elements of compensation and employee benefits. Employees shall, on a regularly scheduled basis, be entitled to at least one day off in every seven-day period, except as required to meet urgent business needs.
Environment
We will comply with all applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations. Our employees will also comply with Bunge’s global environmental policy.
Supplier relationships
We require that our suppliers’ operations, and those of their subcontractors and suppliers, comply with Bunge’s global labor policy. In addition, any housing that they, their subcontractors or suppliers provide for their employees must be safe and healthy.
Forced labor
We will not use forced labor in any form. This includes prison labor, indentured labor and bonded labor.
Child labor
We will only hire employees who meet local minimum-age requirements and will not under any circumstances employ workers under 14. Apprentice and similar programs must comply with all applicable local laws and regulations.
Harassment and abuse
In a Bunge workplace people are treated with dignity and respect. We will not tolerate any form of harassment or abuse.
Nondiscrimination
Employment at Bunge will be based on job-related qualifications and skills.
Health and safety
We will maintain a safe and healthy work environment that complies with all applicable local laws and regulations. Our employees will abide by Bunge’s global safety policies.
Freedom of association and right to collective bargaining
We will respect these rights.
Wages, benefits and work hours
We will comply with all wage and compensation requirements as defined under applicable local laws and regulations for regular work, overtime, maximum hours and other elements of compensation and employee benefits. Employees shall, on a regularly scheduled basis, be entitled to at least one day off in every seven-day period, except as required to meet urgent business needs.
Environment
We will comply with all applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations. Our employees will also comply with Bunge’s global environmental policy.
Supplier relationships
We require that our suppliers’ operations, and those of their subcontractors and suppliers, comply with Bunge’s global labor policy. In addition, any housing that they, their subcontractors or suppliers provide for their employees must be safe and healthy.
Labor and Human Rights
The International Labour Organization has identified agriculture as a sector of concern regarding incidences of forced and child labor in its production and supply chains, estimating that 59 percent of global child labor occurs in agriculture. Bunge strictly forbids any use of forced or child labor in its operations and extends this prohibition to its suppliers and subcontractors. Our employees have freedom of association and are under collective bargaining agreements where applicable.
In those regions or sectors where the risks of violation of our policy are higher, we have implemented a variety of policies and procedures to ensure compliance. We began reviewing palm oil suppliers for labor risks and practices in 2017; however, we have been conducting reviews among grain suppliers in risky areas for a much longer time. In Brazil, we are a signatory of the National Slave Work Eradication Pact developed by the Ethos Institute and the International Labour Organization (ILO) and endorsed by the Brazilian government, civil society and other companies. We cross-reference our commercial systems to government forced-labor databases and block any contracts with listed entities. In 2018, a total of 10 suppliers were disqualified for being on the Ministry of Labor’s forced-labor blacklist, out of approximately 8,500 suppliers that had been screened over the year.
Sugarcane
Within our Sugar & Bioenergy division in Brazil, we maintain specific policies and practices to ensure safe and healthy working and living conditions, and to guard against human rights issues related to migratory workers.
Bunge was a signatory to the National Commitment to Improve Working Conditions in Sugarcane in Brazil, which represented a coalition of companies, labor organizations and government working together to identify labor best practices that exceed current legal requirements and to mandate them for the companies that have signed on. Independent auditors verified our compliance to the standards and the Commitment came to an end as signatory companies successfully implemented all actions proposed.
Bunge also complies with Brazilian Regulatory Standard 31 – "Worker Safety and Health in Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Logging and Aquaculture" – which sets minimum standards for labor conditions for agricultural workers. All Bunge employees and contract workers must be at least 18 years of age, and there is at least one work-safety technician on staff for every 100 employees. Our facilities and employee lodgings have bedrooms, bathrooms, leisure areas and dining facilities. All employees and contract workers at Bunge's sugar plantations have private health insurance.
GRI 102-41, GRI 407-1, GRI 408-1, GRI 409-1, GRI 412-1, GRI 412-2, GRI 414-1, GRI 414-2
Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to supporting our diverse workforce and to boosting diversity within our operations. We strive to cast a wide net so that our global workforce will be reflective of our broad customer base and so that a diversity of thought is represented across our operations. We also review policies and practices to ensure that none inadvertently undermine diversity.
We take proactive measures to increase employees’ participation and inclusion once they are a part of Bunge, and examine policies and rules, both written and unwritten, to assess whether any are excluding participation in any way. We also examine comments received on our Ethics & Compliance hotline and website and through our employee engagement survey to gauge employees’ sense of inclusion. To support diversity of professional viewpoints, we also aim for cross-functional representation on our internal teams.
Our offices host employee-developed groups, such as Women of Bunge; Proud & Allied; Multicultural Business Leaders; and African-American Connection in order to foster community-building and create awareness-raising initiatives that support the company's mission for a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Employee Training
Bunge employees participate in a suite of required trainings, and can choose from an array of optional offerings throughout the calendar year.
All employees participate in mandatory annual Code of Conduct and multi-level safety training. Furthermore, all new employees up to the mid-management level participate in a formal, face-to-face onboarding process where they learn key aspects of workplace diversity, ethics, and other values. In addition, we offer our employees robust skills-training resources as well as field-based certification programs that map to various job functions across Bunge. Our strength in employee skill development is something we are proud of and will continue to support and enhance going forward.
To align our business and global workforce with the approaching “gig economy,” including an ongoing digitalization of our industry’s processes, we are beginning to plan for how we can retool and retrain our employees.
GRI 404-1, GRI 404-2, GRI 404-3
Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to supporting our diverse workforce and to boosting diversity within our operations. We strive to cast a wide net so that our global workforce will be reflective of our broad customer base and so that a diversity of thought is represented across our operations. We also review policies and practices to ensure that none inadvertently undermine diversity.
We take proactive measures to increase employees’ participation and inclusion once they are a part of Bunge, and examine policies and rules, both written and unwritten, to assess whether any are excluding participation in any way. We also examine comments received on our Ethics & Compliance hotline and website and through our employee engagement survey to gauge employees’ sense of inclusion. To support diversity of professional viewpoints, we also aim for cross-functional representation on our internal teams.
Our offices host employee-developed groups, such as Women of Bunge; Proud & Allied; Multicultural Business Leaders; and African-American Connection in order to foster community-building and create awareness-raising initiatives that support the company's mission for a diverse and inclusive workplace.
Employee Training
Bunge employees participate in a suite of required trainings, and can choose from an array of optional offerings throughout the calendar year.
All employees participate in mandatory annual Code of Conduct and multi-level safety training. Furthermore, all new employees up to the mid-management level participate in a formal, face-to-face onboarding process where they learn key aspects of workplace diversity, ethics, and other values. In addition, we offer our employees robust skills-training resources as well as field-based certification programs that map to various job functions across Bunge. Our strength in employee skill development is something we are proud of and will continue to support and enhance going forward.
To align our business and global workforce with the approaching “gig economy,” including an ongoing digitalization of our industry’s processes, we are beginning to plan for how we can retool and retrain our employees.
GRI 404-1, GRI 404-2, GRI 404-3