Wärtsilä supports and respects internationally recognised human rights as outlined in the International Bill of Human Rights, the International Labor Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We also support the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact, of which six principles are related to human and labour rights. We work to ensure that there is freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining in the company. In those countries where local legislation does not recognise these rights, employees are offered other channels for expressing their opinions.
Our Code of Conduct and Policy on human rights, equal opportunities, and fair employment practices define common rules, and provide guidance for all employees on respecting human and labour rights and fair employment practices. Human and labour rights are also included as part of the requirements stated in the Wärtsilä Supplier Handbook, as well as in our supplier risk assessment and compliance assurance procedures. Additionally, human rights considerations and international best practices are incorporated within various guidelines, such as the Quality, Environmental, Health and Safety Policy, which sets priorities for enhancing health and safety in our business operations. Human rights are also included in the mandatory Wärtsilä Code of Conduct e-learning for all employees.
The human rights themes of particular importance to Wärtsilä are health and safety, and fair labour practices, which include fair employment conditions, freedom of association, non-discrimination, and non-harassment. One particular challenge to our operations is the nature of maintenance operations carried out by our service personnel. These can require long working hours in the case of, for example, power block-outs.