The ‘Labour Rights Investor Network’ is a global investor network focusing on the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The Network assists investors by acting as an education and exchange platform and a place to connect on issues related to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
The Network is composed of investors who commit to integrating labour rights into their stewardship practices, as outlined in the Investor Statement on the Rights to Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining. The Network is open to asset managers, asset owners and other investment service providers.
The Coordinating Committee (detailed below) will facilitate knowledge building by providing resources and activities to meet the needs identified by members. This could include information about legal frameworks and risks related to freedom of association and collective bargaining, individual companies’ practices, sector-wide risks, or relevant policy developments. In addition, the Coordinating Committee may also undertake activities to support individual members or groups of members when it is relevant to do so. Membership in the Network does not require participation in any particular activity, including any engagements. Members can opt in to chosen activities of interest.
After the initial year and as the Network progresses, the Coordinating Committee will consult with the investor members regarding the Network, including its governance structure and its activities.
The Coordinating Committee will organise the activities of the Network and provide practical resources to help advance investor knowledge of freedom of association and collective bargaining, so that investors can apply this understanding of the topic to strengthen stewardship activities.
Resources will include:
The Labour Rights Investor Network will act as a platform through which members receive public information from other investors and trade unions globally regarding issues related to freedom of association and collective bargaining at specific companies or industries. The Coordinating
Committee will not coordinate collaborative company engagement activities but will share and support relevant company engagement activities organised by members or other groups. The Coordinating Committee may also help support members in evaluating company statements.
Where there is member interest, the Network will support activities to incorporate freedom of
association and collective bargaining throughout the investment chain. For example, the Network can facilitate sharing good practices on how to incorporate labour rights in engagement with service providers, such as ESG rating agencies or asset managers. The Network can also inform and support members participating in relevant policy consultations that shape company or investor activities in relation to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
Expectations of Members
By joining the Network, members commit to:
Members are prohibited from sharing confidential, proprietary or material non–public information. If a network member inadvertently receives information believed to be material non-public information, then the requirements under the relevant securities laws apply. Network members are invited to show leadership within the Network on the stewardship of labour rights, including leading relevant workstreams of interest. Members are encouraged to provide input into the activities of the Network.
If an investor has questions and would like to discuss the Network they should contact the Coordinating Committee by filling out this form. To join the Network, the investor agrees to:
Leaving the Network
Investors can join the Network on an ongoing basis, for an indefinite amount of time. If a member would like to leave the Network at any time, for any reason, they should contact the Coordinating Committee. The member’s name will then be removed from the online version of the investor statement. Should there be a significant change in the running, structure or activities of the Network, as detailed in this document, all investor members will be consulted.
The following organisations are represented on the Coordinating Committee:
UNI Global Union is the global trade union federation for the skills and services sectors, representing more than 20 million workers across 150 different countries. UNI Global Union’s investor engagement team works with investors to support their engagement and stewardship with companies and across sub-sectors in the services sectors. UNI has also worked extensively in supporting investors to advance their knowledge, policy and practice on labour rights.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents 1.3 million workers in the U.S. and Canada in the food retail, food processing, and non-food retail industries. UFCW’s capital stewardship department supports investor engagement with companies to drive more sustainable returns.
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a federation of 60 national and international labour unions that represent 12.5 million working people. The AFL-CIO’s Capital Stewardship Program seeks to ensure that retirement and employee benefit funds invested on behalf of working people are invested and managed in their long-term best interests.
The SOC Investment Group works with pension funds sponsored by unions affiliated with the Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), a coalition of unions representing millions of members, to enhance long-term shareholder value through active ownership. These funds have over $250 billion in assets under management. The SOC Investment Group supports shareholder initiatives to ensure director accountability, sound human rights practices, and strong governance policies, reflecting the long-term interests of workers and their families invested in union pension funds.
Australian Council of Trade Unions
The Global Unions’ Committee on Workers’ Capital (CWC) is an international labour network of over 600 labour representatives and asset owner board members that advocate for the responsible investment of workers’ retirement savings. Founded over 20 years ago, it is a joint initiative of the International Trade Union Confederation, the Global Union Federations and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD. The Secretariat of the CWC is housed at the Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE) in Canada.