The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Gildan Activewear factory in Honduras where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on  October 12-13, 2006

Fair Labor Association

English

DigitalCommons@ILR

1Country
Factory name
IEM
Date(s) in facility
PC(s)
Number of workers
Product(s)
Production processes
[Status]
FLA Code/ Compliance issue Country Law/Legal 
Reference
FLA Benchmark Non-compliance Risk of Non-compliance  Evidence of Non-
compliance 
(uncorroborated)
If not corroborated, 
explain why
Sources/Documentation 
used for corroborating
Notable Features implemented by 
Factory Management or Company
PC Remediation plan Target 
Completion 
Date
Factory Response (Optional) Company follow up (Cite 
date of follow up)
Documentation Completed; 
Pending; On-
going
External Verification         
November 13-14, 2008
Documentation Company Follow up 
February 2, 2009
Documentation
Ventilation 
Ventilation/Electrical/facility 
maintenance
Workers shall wear appropriate protective equipment 
(such as gloves, eye protection, hearing protection, 
respiratory protection, etc.) to prevent unsafe exposure 
(such as  inhalation or contact with solvent vapors, 
noise, dust, etc.) to hazardous elements including 
medical waste.
All ventilation, plumbing, electrical, and lighting services 
shall be provided and maintained to conform to 
applicable laws and prevent hazardous conditions to 
employees in the facility.
Although facility has purchased 
additional ventilation systems to 
minimize heat stress, employees 
complained about excessive heat 
during summer season.
Visual observations On Nov. 05 (Company) installed 2 
new units.  On Sept. 06, 2 coils 
were installed for units 3 and 8 
and on Oct. 06 pipes in air unit #5 
were expanded. 
We ordered the necessary 
equipment in October 2006 
and another coil will be 
installed for air unit #5 in 
December.
Up to now and since the date of 
the audit, a total of 6 coils have 
been replaced and a new air 
conditioning unit was installed 
on Feb. 16, 2007. With these 
measures, the whole revision of 
the air conditioning system has 
been completed.
Sept. 3, 2007  It was 
determined by the park 
that the air conditioner 
unit was too old. The park 
decided to change it for a 
newer one. The 
temperature inside the 
production floor has been 
monitored on June 28, 
August 6, and September 
3, 2007 by the internal 
CSR monitor, finding it to 
be under the standard 
limit.  
Completed Corrected: 
During the facility tour and 
employee interviews, it was 
noted that the air conditioning 
system is new and works 
properly.
Factory walkthrough 
and employee 
interviews
Ventilation/Electrical/facility 
maintenance
All ventilation, plumbing, electrical, and lighting services 
shall be provided and maintained to conform to 
applicable laws and prevent hazardous conditions to 
employees in the facility.
Although facility has engaged an 
external firm to analyze the air 
quality (with acceptable rate 
standards), employee interviews and 
monitor observation revealed 
accumulation of lint on workers 
bodies and clothing.
Visual observations Internal lint measurements are 
acceptable in standards = 1.47 
mg/m3 (Std 3 mg/m3)
External evaluation is 
programmed in 2007.
Even though according to our 
internal lint measurements, 
[factory] is under acceptable 
parameters two independent 
firms have been contacted to 
perform an external evaluation 
of the levels of lint. Their 
proposals are being  evaluated.
July 1, 2007 The Health 
and Safety Regional 
Manager will get a quote 
on a monitoring test for 
particles.
Completed Corrected: 
The facility has conducted 
monitoring activities to control 
particle material analysis; these 
tests are performed on a 
monthly basis complying with 
OSHA PNOR: 15mg/m3.  
Furthermore, during employee 
interviews and facility tour it was 
noted that the facility provides 
mouth masks to employees.
Factory walkthrough 
and employee 
interviews
H&S.9 Evacuation 
Requirements and Procedure
Law and Regulations. 
Preventive Requirements. 
Accident. Illness. Article 216
All applicable legally required or recommended 
elements of safe evacuation (such as posting of 
evacuation plans, the installation and maintenance of an 
employee alarm and emergency lighting systems, 
ensuring aisles/exits are not blocked and that workers 
are not blocked within their workstations, employee 
education, evacuation procedures, etc.) shall be 
complied with.  Workers shall be trained in evacuation 
procedures.  Alarm systems shall be regularly tested 
and evacuation drills shall be undertaken at least 
annually.
Pending New Findings:
1. The facility does not have a 
fire alarm system in place.
2. The facility has not conducted 
an evacuation fire drill in the new 
building.
Facility walkthrough 
and document 
reviews
Corrected: 1) The 
fire alarm system 
has been installed. 
Corrected: 2) The 
facility performed 
fire drills on 25-Nov-
08 and 29-Nov-08
1) Facility 
walkthrough 
(observation) and 
testing 2) 
Document review
Payment of Legal Benefits Art. 339 states that holiday 
must be compensated 
computing the average of 
regular plus overtime earned 
during the immediate 
preceding week.  Art. 340 
states that if a holiday is 
worked, the payment must 
be at 200% over the regular 
rate and must receive an 
additional day off.
Legally mandated benefits will be provided or paid in 
full within legally defined time periods
Holiday pay is required to be 
calculated as an average (regular + 
overtime) from the preceding week. 
[Factory] calculated the Oct 2005 
holiday from a non-corresponding 
week.  The selected week chosen 
for the calculation was lower than 
the corresponding week, resulting in 
a lower payment for a number of 
employees.
Interview of employees 
and review of payroll 
ledgers
Holiday for Oct. 06 was 
calculated  with the 
average of regular working 
hours plus overtime earned 
during the immediate 
preceding week as 
mandated by law, this 
information is available for 
further verification.
Sept. 3, 2007  Internal 
CSR monitor verified on 
this visit that the payment  
for the workers of the 
group A, who were off 
during the corresponding 
days to the 3 holidays of 
October 2005, was 
calculated correctly.
Completed  Corrected: 
During the payroll reviews from 
the holiday (September 15, 
2008; October 12, 2008; May 1, 
2008; and March 20-21, 2008) it 
was noted that the facility paid 
all holidays calculated as an 
average (regular + overtime) 
from the preceding week.
Documents review 
and employee 
interviews
Legal Compliance for 
holiday/leave
According to Art. 348 
(Honduras Labor Law), the 
worker should not work while 
on vacation. Employees with 
2 years of service are 
entitled to 12 days of 
vacation; employees with 3 
or more years of service are 
entitled to 15 days.
Workers will be paid for holidays and leave as required 
by law
Although vacations are paid in full, 
the requirement of not working on 
these days is not fully practiced at 
[factory]. There is a policy of 
collective vacation by which all 
workers have approximately 10 
days off in December.  This practice 
violates local regulations for 
employees who have more than one 
year in service and whose 
accumulated right to time off is 
more than 10 days.
Employee / management 
interviews and review of 
vacation ledger
A workers consultation 
took place with the 
presence of an inspector of 
the Ministry of Labor. All 
workers were informed of 
their right to take certain 
days of vacations 
depending on their 
seniority. Knowing that, 
each worker took his/her 
own decision either to work 
the additional days of 
vacation or rest. The facility 
has the copy of the 
agreement that was 
validated by the Ministry of 
Labor and a written copy of 
the individual decision 
made by each worker.
Sept. 3, 2007 Internal 
CSR monitor verified the 
Statement signed by 
employees' 
representatives and the 
company that was 
validated by the Ministry 
of Labor and the 
individual statement 
signed by each of the 
employees.
Completed  Corrected: 
For the 2007 paid vacation, 
employees received 10 days 
during the period from 
December 21, 2007 to January 
2, 2008; however Labor 
Secretary, facility and workers 
agreed and were authorized to 
pay the rest of vacation days to 
the employees who have been 
working for more than a year 
according to the law and policy 
of collective vacation. The 
authorization of Labor Secretary 
No. 6884 on December 12, 2007 
in accordance with the Human 
Resources Manager and worker 
representatives of [factory] was 
accepted by all parties.
Documents review 
and employee 
interviews
Payment of Legal Benefits Art. 339 states that holiday 
must be compensated 
computing the average of 
regular plus overtime earned 
during the immediate 
preceding week.  Art. 340 
states that if a holiday is 
worked, the payment must 
be at 200% over the regular 
rate and must receive an 
additional day off.
Legally mandated benefits will be provided or paid in 
full within legally defined time periods.
Pending New Finding: 
During the revision of payroll for 
2007 vacation, the facility paid 
additional two holidays in 
advance. December 25, 2007 
and January 1, 2008 were paid 
based on the average of work 
hours of week No.41 (November 
26-December 1, 2007) which 
occurred three weeks before. 
However, Labor Law Article 339 
establishes that the payment has 
to be done considering the 
average of working hours of the 
immediate preceding week; in 
this case it should be week 
No.44 (December 17-22, 2007).
Documents review 
and employee 
interviews
Completed: The 
holiday of 25-Dec-08 
and 1-Jan-09, have 
been paid based on 
the average salary of 
the previous week 
worked.
Verified through 
payroll review
FLA Audit Profile
SPORTSWEAR
MANUFACTURING
October 12-13, 2006
Gildan 
1378
HONDURAS
290029392E
ALGI
Every employee will be treated with respect and dignity.  No employee will be subject to any physical, sexual, 
psychological or verbal harassment of abuse.
No person will be subject to any discrimination in employment, including hiring, salary, benefits, advancement, 
discipline, termination or retirement, on the basis of gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, 
political opinion, or social or ethnic origin.
Employers will provide a safe and healthy working environment to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, 
linked with, or occurring in the course of work or as a result of the operation of employer facilities
7. Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
6. Health and Safety
8. Wages and Benefits
9. Hours of Work
Employers recognize that wages are essential to meeting employees’ basic needs. Employers will pay employees, as a 
base, at least the minimum wage required by local law or the prevailing industry wage, whichever is higher, and will 
provide legally mandated benefits
2.Forced Labor 
There will not be any use of forced labor, whether in the form of prison labor, indentured labor, bonded labor or 
th i
No person will be employed at an age younger than 15 (or 14 where the law of the country of manufacture allows) or 
younger than the age for completing compulsory education in the country of manufacture where such age is higher than 
RemediationIEM Findings
3. Child Labor
4. Harassment or Abuse
5. Nondiscrimination
Third-Party Verification Company Verification Follow up
Employers will recognize and respect the right of employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining
HONDURAS
290029392EV
ALGI
November 13-14, 2008
Gildan 
3800
SPORTSWEAR
MANUFACTURING
1. Code Awareness
2[Status]
FLA Code/ Compliance issue Country Law/Legal 
Reference
FLA Benchmark Non-compliance Risk of Non-compliance  Evidence of Non-
compliance 
(uncorroborated)
If not corroborated, 
explain why
Sources/Documentation 
used for corroborating
Notable Features implemented by 
Factory Management or Company
PC Remediation plan Target 
Completion 
Date
Factory Response (Optional) Company follow up (Cite 
date of follow up)
Documentation Completed; 
Pending; On-
going
External Verification         
November 13-14, 2008
Documentation Company Follow up 
February 2, 2009
Documentation
RemediationIEM Findings Third-Party Verification Company Verification Follow up
In addition to their compensation for regular hours of work, employees will be compensated for overtime hours at such 
premium rate as is legally required in the country of manufacture or, in those countries where such laws will not exist, at 
a rate at least equal to their regular hourly compensation rate.
10. Overtime Compensation
Except in extraordinary business circumstances, employees will (i) not be required to work more than the lesser of (a) 
48 hours per week and 12 hours overtime or (b) the limits on regular and overtime hours allowed by the law of the 
country of manufacture or, where the laws of such country will not limit the hours of work, the regular work week in such 
country plus 12 hours overtime; and (ii) be entitled to at least one day off in every seven day period
Miscellaneous


Tracking Chart 2008 Gildan Activewear in Honduras (Factory 1, October)

The FLA uses Tracking Charts to provide the public with information about the compliance situation of individual factories - the specific problems that were found by monitors and the action taken by participating companies in response to the findings. These charts outline the series of events involved in the FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) process. This tracking chart reports on the Gildan Activewear factory in Honduras where numerous violations were recorded by auditors on  October 12-13, 2006.trackingchart2008_Gildan_Honduras1.pdf: 62 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

eCommons@Cornell

https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1265&amp;context=globaldocs

Tracking Chart 2008 Gildan Activewear in Honduras (Factory 1, October)

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

DigitalCommons@ILR

eCommons@Cornell