Annual monitoring meeting monitors BWI’s the IFA with Faber Castell

The implementation of the multistage monitoring procedure of the International Framework Agreement (IFA) includes a self-assessment and internal and external audits in every plant of Faber-Castell A-G. In addition, there is an annual monitoring committee meeting under the IFA that is an essential element of the agreement. The most recent such a meeting took place on 1 February 2019 in the company’s headquarters in Stein.

Company’s management was represented by Mr. Daniel Rogger, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. René Günzel, Director, Human Resources, and Ralph Stumpf, Human Resource, F-C Geroldsgrün. IG Metall was represented by Michael Knoche, IG Metall Department for Transnational Trade Union Policy and Klaus-Dieter Winnerlein, 1st authorized representative of the IG Metall West Central Franconia, while the German General Works Council (GWC) was represented by the Chair, Bernd Hager and member of the GWC Stefan Hübner.

The Monitoring Committee discussed the implementation of the recommendations made by the audit team in 2017 and 2018 and exchanged views on best practices in different areas, like health and safety (ergonomics), reduction of high temperature at working facilities, and sharing of experiences between representatives of management and trade unions on social dialogue. The latter took place in April 2018 when a delegation from Brazil visited the German headquarters.

Faber-Castell AG informed the monitoring committee that it is further developing a group-wide code of conduct that would include, among other things, a strong policy on sexual harassment. In addition, the company reported that issues of digitalization and future of work is an important area which was met with a positive response by the trade union representatives who also shared with the company that the future of work will be the main theme at the upcoming centennial International Labour Conference in June 2019, in Geneva.

The next external audit will be in March 2019 in Peru and Colombia and a schedule of audits was set until 2021. The IFA (Social Charta) signed between Faber-Castell A-G, IG Metall and BWI in March 2000 (updated 2008), plays a key role in ensuring world-wide workers’ rights and the respect of ILO Core Labour Standards. Social audits are conducted in regular cycles.

Faber-Castell A-G is the world’s largest pencil manufacturer with a capacity of more than two billion wooden-cased pencils per year. Over the last ten years the company, expanded its range of products to cosmetics and started to produce products for the automotive market while maintaining the production of its pressure brand tools and graphite and colour pencils for writing.

The company employs around 8000 workers in several production locations (Germany, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, China, India, Indonesia and Malaysia).