Policies

Human Rights Policies and Practices

Our human rights policies and practices include:

• Rights of the Individual – PotashCorp follows the rule of law, conducts business with integrity and respects human dignity and the rights of all individuals; we support the principles outlined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labor Organization’s fundamental conventions.
• Freedom of Association – We acknowledge and respect the right to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining at all operations.
• Forced Labor – We do not use forced labor at any of our operations.
• Non-Discrimination – The Respect in the Workplace policy commits the company to providing a work environment free of unlawful discrimination, including harassment. It forbids any unwelcome conduct that is based on an individual’s race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, ancestry, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, citizenship status, sexual orientation or any other protected status. The policy covers actions by any employee, supervisor, officer, director, vendor, customer or agent of PotashCorp.
• Indigenous Peoples – We have no specific policy on indigenous relations. We do not mine on land claimed by indigenous peoples and have no contracts that require indigenous hiring or contracting. We have, however, begun dialog in Canada with First Nations representatives to build an understanding of mutual needs. We have initiated outreach programs to strengthen our profile as an employer of choice for qualified candidates of Aboriginal descent. For more discussion about this, go to Stakeholder Engagement.
• Disciplinary Practices – No retaliation will be taken against any employee for raising any concern, question or complaint in good faith.
• Suppliers and Contractors – We involve suppliers and vendors in our strategic vision. The quality of these business partners is evaluated against purchasing criteria and company-wide standards. Human rights standards are considered when purchasing decisions are made. All vendors have access to an anonymous compliance hotline to report human rights or ethical concerns.
• Child Labor – We do not use child labor at any of our operations and survey operations annually to establish the age of the youngest employee at each.

Management Process

PotashCorp provides awareness training, monitoring and enforcement to ensure compliance with human rights policies. Key elements are:

• Complaint Procedure – To manage complaints and appeals, we have:
  • Procedures for employees to submit complaints or grievances to a supervisor, local HR representative, the Law Department or any member of the Compliance Committee
  • Procedures for suppliers to submit complaints to the local General Manager or the Vice President, Procurement
  • Procedures for employees and suppliers to submit complaints or grievances anonymously
  • A Complaint Committee and HR professionals responsible for hearing, processing and settling human rights-related disputes
  • Feedback procedures for external stakeholder complaints
  • Procedures for monitoring the treatment of employees who file compliance complaints to ensure non-retaliation
  • Procedures for evaluating the treatment of employees prior to the imposition of severe disciplinary action
  • A written protocol for investigating and handling compliance complaints.
• Whistleblower Procedure – No retaliation will be taken against any employee or vendor for raising concerns, questions or complaints in good faith. The ComplianceLine – accessible 24/7 by both employees and vendors – provides a secure method for voicing grievances anonymously. Callers are given a follow-up date when a ComplianceLine specialist will share the company’s response.
  
  The Compliance Committee consisting of the General Counsel, Senior Vice President, Administration and Vice President, Internal Audit reviews and manages investigations regarding compliance complaints in accordance with protocol. Any complaints regarding financial compliance are shared with the Chair of the Board of Directors’ audit committee.
• Screening of Suppliers and Contractors – Human rights/social responsibility commitments are required of all key suppliers. All vendors must agree to abide by national, state/provincial and local laws, including those related to the environment, safety and employment. All key suppliers have submitted to PotashCorp documents that demonstrate their human rights/social responsibility commitments. To date, no response has resulted in a vendor being de-listed.
• Training in Human Rights – We ensure that all employees are aware of and understand our values and commitments to human rights. All employees are asked to confirm annually, in writing, that they have read our Core Values and Code of Conduct, and will comply with the provisions of each of its policies.
• Training of Security Personnel – Our security personnel include direct and contract employees. Contract security firms provide their employees with security training. Training for PotashCorp security personnel is provided by us or an outside security firm. Training is reviewed during a facility’s annual security audit.