Detail on Workers Rights 

Wages

[A]lways identifies the legal minimum wage in the country/industry (prior to an audit) and determines the actual lowest wage being paid...Each worker’s circumstances and needs are different and armed with the above information; we can clearly determine the extent that wages are meeting a basic need.

been working closely with the National Group of Homeworkers (NGH) in the use of homeworkers and ensuring that they are paid a living wage. We have performed several time and motion studies utilising an independent management consultant along with NGH to ensure rates of pay meet a living wage.

Freedom of Association

[M]ost of our suppliers have some union representation and employee members...Where the law of the land discourages trade unions we have had significant success in helping to ensure factories set up worker councils.

Monitoring and verification

where there is a union representative in the factory they have been invited to the audit closing out meetings.  We now have plans in place that during future audits we will include local TU and NGO’s to assist in the validation and monitoring of third party auditing.

Our conclusion

Madison’s work on living wages among UK homeworkers, and its plans to incorporate local stakeholders into its audits, are most welcome.  We hope Madison continues to make progress over the next year, and that its work to find out more about freedom of association translates into real engagement with this issue.