Our Policies

Protecting your privacy is important to Groupe TAQ (hereinafter the “Organization”, “we”, “our”). For this reason, we have implemented safeguards and sound management practices to maintain the confidentiality and security of your personal information in accordance with applicable laws, including Law 25.

This privacy policy (the “Policy”), which should be read in conjunction with our Terms and Conditions and the applicable Service agreements entered into by the Organization, describes our practices regarding the collection, use, processing, disclosure, and retention of Personal Information (as defined below) of our clients, visitors and users.

By using our website www.groupetaq.com (the “Website”) or by transacting by technology with us, you agree that we may collect, use, process, disclose and retain your Personal Information in accordance with the terms and conditions described herein. If you do not agree to comply with and be bound by this Policy, you may not visit, access, or use our Website or Services or share your Personal Information by technological means with us.

This Policy does not apply to Personal Information of the Organization’s employees, agents, consultants, or any other person affiliated with the Organization, or to any information that is not Personal Information as defined by applicable law.

Purpose of this Policy

This Policy aims to inform you regarding what personal information we collect by technological means, how we process it, and when we need to communicate it to subcontractors or third parties.

The term “personal information” refers to any information about a natural person that reveals, directly or indirectly, something about that person’s identity, characteristics or activities. Examples include your name, date of birth, personal e-mail address, financial information and personal identification numbers.

Contact Us

Any questions, comments, requests, concerns, exercise of rights or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy should be directed to our Data Protection Officer at the following coordinates

Email: confidentialite@groupetaq.com

Address: Groupe TAQ
5255 rue Rideau
Quebec, Qc
G2E 5H5

Consent to the collection of personal information

Your privacy and the confidentiality of your data are of paramount importance to the Organization.

That is why we have developed this Policy to tell you what Personal Information we collect electronically and for what purposes, the means we use to collect it, how we process it, and when we need to disclose it to Service Providers or third parties, privacy and security measures, and your rights in relation to your Personal Information.

By providing us with Personal Information, you authorize the Organization to collect and process your Personal Information that is necessary to provide you with our Services. Please be assured that you remain in control of your personal information at all times and that the consent you give us to collect or process your personal information may be withdrawn at any time. We will ensure that we respect your choice in accordance with our legal obligations. To do so, simply let us know or tell us when the information is collected on paper, verbally or in the presence of a member of our staff.  You may also inform Gabriel Tremblay, our DPO, and indicate your refusal to the collection. Please note, certain Personal Information is necessary for our operations. Your refusal may result in our inability to serve you.

In the course of our business, we may collect, process and/or use different types of Personal Information that you provide us as permitted by law including, but not limited to, the information listed below:

• When browsing our Website;
• When visiting our places of business;
• When using Wi-Fi in our places of business;
• When communicating with us by telephone;
• When interacting via social media and e-mail;
• When interacting on websites such as Facebook, YouTube, etc…;
• When consulting or viewing our online advertisements;
• When interacting with our authorized representatives.

Personal Information Collected

In the course of our activities, we may collect, process and use various types of personal information. We strive to limit the collection of personal information to that which is necessary to provide our services to you or which is permitted by law.

The personal information we collect includes:

Via our Website or  Forms

• Contact information, such as your first and last name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number, to subscribe to our newsletter or when you make a donation;
• Information automatically collected through the use of our Website and Services, including:
  • Website usage and other technical data, such as your IP address, the pages you visited, the time and date of your visits, the type of browser you were using, the operating system of your device and other hardware and software information;
  • Geolocation data, such as your IP address, a precise or approximate location determined from your IP address or the GPS of your mobile device (depending on your device settings).
• When you make a donation to Groupe TAQ, we collect your contact information and address in order to issue you a tax receipt. The transaction is carried out through a specialized third party (in this case Zeffy) who secures the payment details (debit card, credit card, pre-authorized debit (PAD)). To learn more about their processing, storage and destruction methods, we invite you to consult the privacy policies of our partners. Please note that Groupe TAQ does not store any payment card data.

In the accomplishment of mandates that you entrust to us:

• Professional or employment-related information, such as your resume, criminal history information, and other information you provide to us when you apply for a job at the Organization;
• Contact information, such as your first and last name, email address, telephone number, address, and business number for creating a customer account;
• Product or service-related information, such as information about services we have provided to you;
• Donation information, such as donation amount, date and time, billing postal code, your address and other related information;
• Information you choose to provide or share with us, for example, when you fill out a form, respond to surveys or contact one of our employees or representatives, including your preferences or interests;

Use of Personal Information

In general, we only use your Personal Information for purposes allowed or required by law, or for the following purposes:

• Offer or improve our products and services or develop new products and services;
• Allow you to subscribe to our newsletter, apply for a job, answer your questions, gather opinions and comments or provide you with assistance when needed;
• To operate, maintain, supervise, develop, improve and offer all the functionalities of our Website;
• For the purposes of verifying your identity, personal background, as permitted by law, or to comply with our obligations under applicable laws and regulations;
• Send messages, updates, security alerts or transmit communications as permitted by law;
• Administer a contest, promotion, survey or other feature of the Website or our services;
• Conduct research and analysis in connection with our business and services;
• Detect and prevent fraud, error, spam, abuse, security incidents and other harmful activities;
• Ascertain, exercise or defend any legal right or proceeding.

We will always respect the purposes for which we have collected your personal information. If we wish to use or disclose your personal information for other purposes, we will seek your consent, except as permitted by law.

Individuals under 14 years of age

We do not knowingly collect or use personal information from persons under the age of 14. If you are under 14 years of age, you must not provide us with your personal information without the consent of your parent or guardian.

If you are a parent or guardian and become aware that your child has provided us with personal information without consent, please contact us as described in the “Contact Us” section to request that we delete that child’s personal information from our systems.

Disclosure of Personal Information

In the course of our activities, we make your personal information available to our employees, consultants or agents whose duties so require.

Although we try to avoid sharing your personal information with third parties, we may use service providers to perform various services on our behalf, such as IT management and security, marketing, and data analysis, hosting and storage. In such circumstances, we provide only the personal information necessary for the performance of their mandate, and we are committed to ensuring that the principles set out in this Policy are respected.

In addition, these service providers provide us with sufficient guarantees that they have implemented adequate safeguards for the protection of your personal information processed or communicated before your personal information is communicated to them. When our service providers no longer need your personal information, we ask them to destroy it in an appropriate manner.

The personal information we collect and store remains protected and is securely hosted on servers that may be located outside Quebec, notably in Canada and the United States.

We may also share, transfer or communicate, strictly in accordance with this Policy, your personal information with third parties when required by law or as part of a business transaction involving the sale, transfer or assignment, in whole or in part, of Groupe TAQ or our assets.  In such a case, and in the event that the business transaction is completed, we will inform you before your personal information is governed by another privacy policy.

We do not sell, trade or otherwise disclose your personal information to third parties, subject to exceptions provided by law.

Retention of Personal Information

Subject to applicable law, we retain your Personal Information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, unless you consent to your Personal Information being used or processed for another purpose. In addition, our retention periods may be modified in a timely manner due to legitimate interests (e.g., to ensure the security of Personal Information, to prevent abuse and breaches or to prosecute criminals).

For more information on how long your Personal Information is retained, please contact our DPO using the contact information provided in the “Contact Us” section.

Your Rights Regarding Your Personal Information

The law provides you with the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access: You have the right to be informed of the Personal Information we hold about you and to request a paper copy of the documents containing your Personal Information, subject to the exceptions provided by applicable law;
• Accuracy and rectification: You have the right to have the Personal Information we hold about you rectified, amended and updated if it is incomplete, equivocal, out of date or inaccurate;
• Withdrawal: You have the right to withdraw or change your consent for Groupe TAQ to collect, use, disclose or retain your Personal Information at any time, subject to applicable legal and contractual restrictions.
• Deindexing: You have the right to ask us to stop disseminating your Personal Information and to de-index any link attached to your name that provides access to that information if such dissemination violates the law or a court order;
• Information: the right to be informed when you are the subject of a decision based exclusively on automated processing or when identification, location or profiling technology is used, and of the means offered to activate these functions;
• Complaint: You have the right to file a complaint with the Organization regarding the protection of your personal information;
• Complaint: You have the right to file a complaint with the Commission d’accès à l’information, subject to the conditions set out in the applicable law.

In order to comply with your request, you may be asked to provide appropriate identification or otherwise identify yourself, as required by law.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us as indicated in the “Contact us” section.

Security Measures

Groupe TAQ has implemented physical, technological and organizational security measures to adequately protect the confidentiality and security of your personal information against loss, theft or any unauthorized access, disclosure, reproduction, communication, use or modification. These measures include controlling access to our offices and equipment, setting up a secure connection between your device and our server on our Website, making Groupe TAQ employees aware of this Policy, obtaining their commitment to comply with it and to respect the confidentiality of your personal information, and adopting governance measures aimed in particular at the secure storage and destruction of your personal information.

In addition, we limit access to your personal information to those staff members who need it to perform their duties. These people only have access to the information they need to perform their duties.

Despite the adoption of such measures, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your Personal Information. If you have reason to believe that your Personal Information is no longer secure, please contact us immediately as indicated in the “Contact us” section.

Limitation of Liability

Groupe TAQ undertakes to take all reasonable measures to ensure a level of confidentiality and security of Personal Information in accordance with technological standards appropriate to its sector of activity and the sensitivity of the data collected.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, you acknowledge that no computer system offers absolute security and that there is always a degree of risk involved in transmitting Personal Information over the public Internet.

You agree that Groupe TAQ cannot be held responsible for any breach of confidentiality, hacking, virus, loss, theft, misuse or alteration of Personal Information transmitted or hosted on its systems or those of a third party. You also agree to waive all claims in this regard, except in the case of gross negligence or intentional misconduct on the part of the Organization. Accordingly, you agree to hold the Organization and its officers, directors, affiliates and business partners harmless from any damages of any kind, whether direct or indirect, incidental, special or consequential, arising out of the use of your Personal Information.

In the event of a Privacy Incident involving your Personal Information that poses a high risk to your rights and liberty, you will be notified of such breach as soon as possible, and the Organization will take appropriate steps to preserve the confidentiality and security of your Personal Information.

Cookies and other tracking technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies (collectively, “Cookies”) to help us operate, protect and optimize the Website and the services we offer. You can set your browser to notify you when you visit the Website so that you can decide whether or not to accept some or all Cookies.

Among the Cookies we collect via our Website are the following:

• Functionality cookies: These cookies enable the Website to remember the choices you make (such as your username, preferred language, etc.) to provide you with a personalized and enhanced experience on future visits.
• Analysis cookies: these help us analyze and understand how you use our website, so that we can improve its usability, functionality and content.
• Advertising cookies: These cookies are used to display relevant advertising based on your interests and browsing history.

User-published content

The user of the Website has the possibility, via his or her user account, to issue comments and other information that he or she wishes. We remind you that Groupe TAQ cannot be held responsible for the content of your comments, nor for any consequences that may result from them. We strongly advise you not to publish any Personal Information about yourself on our Website in order to ensure the protection of your personal data.s

Updating Our Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Policy at any time in accordance with applicable law. In the event of a change, we will post the revised version of the Privacy Policy, update its effective date, and provide notice of the update on the home page of our Web Site. The notice will indicate the date of its publication, the general purpose of the changes made and the date on which the changes take effect.

We encourage you to review this Policy whenever you access our Web Site to stay informed about our safeguards and practices for handling your personal information.

If you do not agree to the new terms of the Privacy Policy, please do not continue to use our Web Site and services. If you choose to continue using our Web Site or services after the new version of our Policy becomes effective, your use of our Web Site and services will be governed by the new version of the Policy.

This Policy was last updated on April 30th 2024.

Objective

Through this policy, TAQ Group affirms its involvement in the preservation of and respect for the environment. The results of our corrective actions and improvement projects, framed by our commitments, will be our strength in raising the awareness of our suppliers, our customers, the community and TAQ Group employees. TAQ Group is concerned about the environment and the ecological footprint of its operations.

Commitment

TAQ Group is committed to :

• Comply with the laws, regulations, decrees, standards and codes that have an impact on the Group’s activities;
• Consider environmental impacts in the decision-making process of all work teams
• Establish a management system that allows for the continuous reduction and/or optimization of
• Water consumption,
• Energy consumption:
• Energy control (load shedding) HILO
• NSW programmable energy management
• Generation of residual materials.

Recycling – Paper – Cardboard (Source separation of paper and cardboard and baling for re-use.)

• White paper
• Colored paper
• Brown wrapping paper (baler)
• Cardboard tube (baler)
• Cardboard box (baler)
• Plastic recycling of pre-consumer packaging and baling for recovery.

Recycling and sorting of metals:

• Rejects from aluminium tubing production and others;
• Rejects from the mechanical workshop;
• Obsolete equipment.Recycling of post-consumer products – Kitchen & Cafeteria:
• Participation of the food service team;
• Training offered to our workers, with the support of teachers from the Louis-Jolliet Center, on recycling.

Overview

This website is operated by Groupe TAQ. Throughout the site, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Groupe TAQ. Groupe TAQ offers this website, including all information, tools and Services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies and notices stated here.

By visiting our site, you engage in our “Service” and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”, “Terms”), including those additional terms and conditions and policies referenced herein and/or available by hyperlink. These Terms of Service apply  to all users of the site, including without limitation users who are browsers, vendors, customers, merchants, and/ or contributors of content.

Please read these Terms of Service carefully before accessing or using our website. By accessing or using any part of the site, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the website or use any Services. If these Terms of Service are considered an offer, acceptance is expressly limited to these Terms of Service.

Any new features or tools which are added to the current store shall also be subject to the Terms of Service. You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time on this page. We reserve the right to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and/or changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to the website following the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Section 1 – website terms

By agreeing to these Terms of Service, you represent that you are at least the age of majority in your state or province of residence, or that you are the age of majority in your state or province of residence and you have given us your consent to allow any of your minor dependents to use this site.

You may not use our products for any illegal or unauthorized purpose nor may you, in the use of the Service, violate any laws in your jurisdiction (including but not limited to copyright laws).

You must not transmit any worms or viruses or any code of a destructive nature.

A breach or violation of any of the Terms will result in an immediate termination of your Services.

Section 2 – general conditions

We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason at any time.

You understand that your content (not including credit card information – for online donation), may be transferred unencrypted and involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. Credit card information is always encrypted during transfer over networks.

You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any portion of the Service, use of the Service, or access to the Service or any contact on the website through which the service is provided, without express written permission by us.

The headings used in this agreement are included for convenience only and will not limit or otherwise affect these Terms.

Section 3 – accuracy, completeness and timeliness of information

We are not responsible if information made available on this site is not accurate, complete or current. The material on this site is provided for general information only and should not be relied upon or used as the sole basis for making decisions without consulting primary, more accurate, more complete or more timely sources of information. Any reliance on the material on this site is at your own risk.

This site may contain certain historical information. Historical information, necessarily, is not current and is provided for your reference only. We reserve the right to modify the contents of this site at any time, but we have no obligation to update any information on our site. You agree that it is your responsibility to monitor changes to our site.

Section 4 – modifications to the service

We reserve the right at any time to modify or discontinue the Service (or any part or content thereof) without notice at any time.

We shall not be liable to you or to any third-party for any modification, price change, suspension or discontinuance of the Service.

Section 5 – optional tools

We may provide you with access to third-party tools over which we neither monitor nor have any control nor input.

You acknowledge and agree that we provide access to such tools ”as is” and “as available” without any warranties, representations or conditions of any kind and without any endorsement. We shall have no liability whatsoever arising from or relating to your use of optional third-party tools.

Any use by you of the optional tools offered through the site is entirely at your own risk and discretion and you should ensure that you are familiar with and approve of the terms on which tools are provided by the relevant third-party provider(s).

We may also, in the future, offer new Services and/or features through the website (including, the release of new tools and resources). Such new features and/or Services shall also be subject to these Terms of Service.

Section 6 – third-party links

Certain content, products and Services available via our Service may include materials from third-parties.

Third-party links on this site may direct you to third-party websites that are not affiliated with us. We are not responsible for examining or evaluating the content or accuracy and we do not warrant and will not have any liability or responsibility for any third-party materials or websites, or for any other materials, products, or Services of third-parties.

We are not liable for any harm or damages related to the purchase or use of goods, Services, resources, content, or any other transactions made in connection with any third-party websites. Please review carefully the third-party’s policies and practices and make sure you understand them before you engage in any transaction. Complaints, claims, concerns, or questions regarding third-party products should be directed to the third-party.

Section 7 – user comments, feedback and other submissions

If, at our request, you send certain specific submissions (for example contest entries) or without a request from us you send creative ideas, suggestions, proposals, plans, or other materials, whether online, by email, by postal mail, or otherwise (collectively, ‘comments’), you agree that we may, at any time, without restriction, edit, copy, publish, distribute, translate and otherwise use in any medium any comments that you forward to us. We are and shall be under no obligation (1) to maintain any comments in confidence; (2) to pay compensation for any comments; or (3) to respond to any comments.

We may, but have no obligation to, monitor, edit or remove content that we determine in our sole discretion to be unlawful, offensive, threatening, libelous, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise objectionable or violates any party’s intellectual property or these Terms of Service.

You agree that your comments will not violate any right of any third-party, including copyright, trademark, privacy, personality or other personal or proprietary right. You further agree that your comments will not contain libelous or otherwise unlawful, abusive or obscene material, or contain any computer virus or other malware that could in any way affect the operation of the Service or any related website. You may not use a false e-mail address, pretend to be someone other than yourself, or otherwise mislead us or third-parties as to the origin of any comments. You are solely responsible for any comments you make and their accuracy. We take no responsibility and assume no liability for any comments posted by you or any third-party.

Section 8 – personal information

Your submission of personal information through the store is governed by our Privacy Policy. To view our Privacy Policy, please see this link.

Section 9 – errors, inaccuracies and omissions

Occasionally there may be information on our site or in the Service that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies or omissions that may relate to product descriptions, pricing, promotions, offers, product shipping charges, transit times and availability. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, and to change or update information or cancel orders if any information in the Service or on any related website is inaccurate at any time without prior notice (including after you have submitted your order).

We undertake no obligation to update, amend or clarify information in the Service or on any related website, including without limitation, pricing information, except as required by law. No specified update or refresh date applied in the Service or on any related website, should be taken to indicate that all information in the Service or on any related website has been modified or updated.

Section 10 – prohibited uses

In addition to other prohibitions as set forth in the Terms of Service, you are prohibited from using the site or its content:

(a) for any unlawful purpose;

(b) to solicit others to perform or participate in any unlawful acts;

(c) to violate any international, federal, provincial or state regulations, rules, laws, or local ordinances;

(d) to infringe upon or violate our intellectual property rights or the intellectual property rights of others;

(e) to harass, abuse, insult, harm, defame, slander, disparage, intimidate, or discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, age, national origin, or disability;

(f) to submit false or misleading information;

(g) to upload or transmit viruses or any other type of malicious code that will or may be used in any way that will affect the functionality or operation of the Service or of any related website, other websites, or the Internet;

(h) to collect or track the personal information of others;

(i) to spam, phish, pharm, pretext, spider, crawl, or scrape;

(j) for any obscene or immoral purpose; or

(k) to interfere with or circumvent the security features of the Service or any related website, other websites, or the Internet. We reserve the right to terminate your use of the Service or any related website for violating any of the prohibited uses.

Section 11 – disclaimer of warranties; limitation of liability

We do not guarantee, represent or warrant that your use of our service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free.

We do not warrant that the results that may be obtained from the use of the service will be accurate or reliable.

You agree that from time to time we may remove the service for indefinite periods of time or cancel the service at any time, without notice to you.

You expressly agree that your use of, or inability to use, the service is at your sole risk. The service and all products and Services delivered to you through the service are (except as expressly stated by us) provided ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ for your use, without any representation, warranties or conditions of any kind, either express or implied, including all implied warranties or conditions of merchantability, merchantable quality, fitness for a particular purpose, durability, title, and non-infringement.

In no case shall Groupe TAQ, our directors, officers, employees, affiliates, agents, contractors, interns, suppliers, service providers or licensors be liable for any injury, loss, claim, or any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, special, or consequential damages of any kind, including, without limitation lost profits, lost revenue, lost savings, loss of data, replacement costs, or any similar damages, whether based in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, arising from your use of any of the service or any products procured using the service, or for any other claim related in any way to your use of the service or any product, including, but not limited to, any errors or omissions in any content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of the service or any content (or product) posted, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the service, even if advised of their possibility.

Because some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or the limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, in such states or jurisdictions, our liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Section 12 – indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Groupe TAQ and our parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, officers, directors, agents, contractors, licensors, service providers, subcontractors, suppliers, interns and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, made by any third-party due to or arising out of your breach of these Terms of Service or the documents they incorporate by reference, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third-party.

Section 13 – severability

In the event that any provision of these Terms of Service is determined to be unlawful, void or unenforceable, such provision shall nonetheless be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and the unenforceable portion shall be deemed to be severed from these Terms of Service, such determination shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any other remaining provisions.

Section 14 – termination

The obligations and liabilities of the parties incurred prior to the termination date shall survive the termination of this agreement for all purposes.

These Terms of Service are effective unless and until terminated by either you or us. You may terminate these Terms of Service at any time by notifying us that you no longer wish to use our Services, or when you cease using our site.

If in our sole judgment you fail, or we suspect that you have failed, to comply with any term or provision of these Terms of Service, we also may terminate this agreement at any time without notice and you will remain liable for all amounts due up to and including the date of termination; and/or accordingly may deny you access to our Services (or any part thereof).

Section 15 – entire agreement

The failure of us to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

These Terms of Service and any policies or operating rules posted by us on this site or in respect to The Service constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between you and us and govern your use of the Service, superseding any prior or contemporaneous agreements, communications and proposals, whether oral or written, between you and us (including, but not limited to, any prior versions of the Terms of Service).

Any ambiguities in the interpretation of these Terms of Service shall not be construed against the drafting party.

Section 16 – governing law

These Terms of Service and any separate agreements whereby we provide you Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Canada.

Section 17 – changes to terms of service

You can review the most current version of the Terms of Service at any time at this page.

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to update, change or replace any part of these Terms of Service by posting updates and changes to our website. It is your responsibility to check our website periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to our website or the Service following the posting of any changes to these Terms of Service constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Section 18 – contact information

Questions about the Terms of Service should be sent to us at confidentalite@groupetaq.com.

The code of conduct

1.  Employment is freely chosen

1.1 There is no forced, bonded or involuntary prison labour.

1.2 Workers are not required to lodge “deposits” or their identity papers with their employer and are free to leave their employer after reasonable notice.

2. Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected

2.1 Workers, without distinction, have the right to join or form trade unions of their own choosing and to bargain collectively.

2.2 The employer adopts an open attitude towards the activities of trade unions and their organisational activities.

2.3 Workers representatives are not discriminated against and have access to carry out their representative functions in the workplace.

2.4 Where the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining is restricted under law, the employer facilitates, and does not hinder, the development of parallel means for independent and free association and bargaining.

3. Working conditions are safe and hygienic

3.1 A safe and hygienic working environment shall be provided, bearing in mind the prevailing knowledge of the industry and of any specific hazards. Adequate steps shall be taken to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, associated with, or occurring in the course of work, by minimising, so far as is reasonably practicable, the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment.

3.2 Workers shall receive regular and recorded health and safety training, and such training shall be repeated for new or reassigned workers.

3.3 Access to clean toilet facilities and to potable water, and, if appropriate, sanitary facilities for food storage shall be provided.

3.4 Accommodation, where provided, shall be clean, safe, and meet the basic needs of the workers.

3.5 The company observing the code shall assign responsibility for health and safety to a senior management representative.

4. Child labour shall not be used

4.1 There shall be no new recruitment of child labour.

4.2 Companies shall develop or participate in and contribute to policies and programmes which provide for the transition of any child found to be performing child labour to enable her or him to attend and remain in quality education until no longer a child; “child” and “child labour” being defined in the appendices.

4.3 Children and young persons under 18 shall not be employed at night or in hazardous conditions.

4.4 These policies and procedures shall conform to the provisions of the relevant ILO standards

5. Living wages are paid

5.1 Wages and benefits paid for a standard working week meet, at a minimum, national legal standards or industry benchmark standards, whichever is higher. In any event wages should always be enough to meet basic needs and to provide some discretionary income.

5.2 All workers shall be provided with written and understandable Information about their employment conditions in respect to wages before they enter employment and about the particulars of their wages for the pay period concerned each time that they are paid.

5.3 Deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure shall not be permitted nor shall any deductions from wages not provided for by national law be permitted without the expressed permission of the worker concerned. All disciplinary measures should be recorded.

6.  Working hours are not excessive

6.1 Working hours must comply with national laws, collective agreements, and the provisions of 6.2 to 6.6 below, whichever affords the greater protection for workers. 6.2 to 6.6 are based on international labour standards.

6.2 Working hours, excluding overtime, shall be defined by contract, and shall not exceed 48 hours per week*

6.3 All overtime shall be voluntary. Overtime shall be used responsibly, taking into account all the following: the extent, frequency and hours worked by individual workers and the workforce as a whole. It shall not be used to replace regular employment. Overtime shall always be compensated at a premium rate, which is recommended to be not less than 125% of the regular rate of pay.

6.4 The total hours worked in any 7 day period shall not exceed 60 hours, except where covered by clause 6.5 below.

6.5 Working hours may exceed 60 hours in any 7 day period only in exceptional circumstances where all of the following are met:

• this is allowed by national law;
• this is allowed by a collective agreement freely negotiated with a workers’ organisation representing a significant portion of the workforce;
• appropriate safeguards are taken to protect the workers’ health and safety; and
• the employer can demonstrate that exceptional circumstances apply such as unexpected production peaks, accidents or emergencies.

6.6 Workers shall be provided with at least one day off in every 7 day period or, where allowed by national law, 2 days off in every 14 day period.*

*International standards recommend the progressive reduction of normal hours of work, when appropriate, to 40 hours per week, without any reduction in workers’ wages as hours are reduced

7. No discrimination is practiced

7.1 There is no discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, caste, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.

8. Regular employment is provided

8.1 To every extent possible work performed must be on the basis of recognised employment relationship established through national law and practice.

8.2 Obligations to employees under labour or social security laws and regulations arising from the regular employment relationship shall not be avoided through the use of labour-only contracting, sub- contracting, or home-working arrangements, or through apprenticeship schemes where there is no real intent to impart skills or provide regular employment, nor shall any such obligations be avoided through the excessive use of fixed-term contracts of employment.

9. No harsh or inhumane treatement is allowed

9.1 Physical abuse or discipline, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited.

The provisions of this code constitute minimum and not maximum standards, and this code should not be used to prevent companies from exceeding these standards. Companies applying this code are expected to comply with national and other applicable law and, where the provisions of law and this Base Code address the same subject, to apply that provision which affords the greater protection.

© 1998-2007 Ethical Trading Initiative – all rights reserved

Among other things, Groupe TAQ’s netiquette guidelines set out the online rules that must be followed by our subscribers and web users in general, including moderation rules for comments received and privacy requirements.

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