Canadian Red Cross Responds to Enquête
March 19, Ottawa, ON - The Canadian Red Cross is providing an official response to the Société Radio-Canada program Enquête aired March 18. The program alleged a series of problems with reconstruction work done in Indonesia following the tsunami that devastated the region on December 26, 2004.
During its reconstruction efforts, the Canadian Red Cross learned that certain sub-contractors did not adhere to its Code of Conduct.
IMMEDIATE ACTION TAKEN
Whenever issues of non-compliance to the Code of Conduct were raised the Canadian Red Cross immediately pursued the necessary action to rectify the situation. In the cases of employees who had not been properly compensated by the sub-contractors, the Canadian Red Cross ensured payment was issued. Cases of inadequate living conditions for workers were also quickly rectified.
The sub-contractors hired by the Canadian Red Cross had been chosen through a rigorous competitive review and were all required to sign its Code of Conduct, which provides guidelines for the treatment and fair pay of workers, as well as their health, safety and living conditions, in keeping with local laws and customs.
“In addition to quickly resolving these isolated incidents, the Canadian Red Cross commissioned a third party review from the firm Ernst & Young to validate that the incidents were in fact isolated,” said Conrad Sauvé, secretary general of the Canadian Red Cross. “We reinforced the implementation of our Code of Conduct, with an emphasis on formal worker complaint mechanisms,” he added.
Background on Canadian Red Cross Tsunami Response
Thanks to the generous support of Canadian donors, the Canadian Red Cross raised $360 million to support relief efforts. To date, Red Cross efforts have helped 5 million survivors rebuild their lives through a series of short- and long-term programs. Following the tsunami the Canadian Red Cross has completed over 6,500 homes, repaired hospitals and community centres, restored lost livelihoods and helped train thousands of disaster response volunteers in tsunami affected communities across Asia.
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