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The Hayleys Group’s world-class knitted fabric manufacturing
associate Hayleys MGT Knitting Mills reached an important
milestone recently when the company was certified as compliant
with the world’s most stringent Social Accountability Standard,
SA8000.
The certification is the first to be issued to a fabric
manufacturer in Sri Lanka, the company said.
Developed by Social Accountability International (SAI), the
standard represents a comprehensive and flexible system for the
management of ethical workplace conditions throughout global
supply chains and assures a humane workplace through respect for
workers rights.
Hayleys MGT Knitting Mills’ SA8000 certification follows an
audit by SGS Italia S.p.A., a premier international
certification body accredited by SAI, and covers manufacturing,
dyeing and finishing of knitted fabric at the company’s
state-of-the-art factory at Narthupana Estate, Neboda. The
certification is valid till September 2010.
“Compliance with SA8000 carries tremendous weight with customers
all over the world,” said Bandula Weerasinghe Jt. Managing
Director of Hayleys MGT Knitting Mills. “In many respects, the
requirements of SA8000 are higher than those specified by
statute, and buyers are assured that a certified supplier
conforms to international workplace norms based on ILO
conventions, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the
UN convention on the rights of the child.”
First published in 1997 and revised in 2001, SA8000 covers areas
such as child labour, forced labour, health and safety, freedom
of association, right to collective bargaining, discrimination,
working hours, compensation, and management systems. The
standard requires, among others, that companies do not employ
children under the age of 15, that there is gender equality in
remuneration, strict non-discrimination on grounds of race,
caste, origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation,
age, or union or political affiliation, and that wages and
working hours conform with national or international norms.
As a major supplier to top international brands such as Marks &
Spencer, Next, Nike, Reebok and Decathlon, Hayleys MGT Knitting
Mills had already received accreditations from many global
retailers, Mr. Weerasinghe said. These included Marks & Spencer,
Next, Tesco, British Home Stores (BHS), Mothercare, Sainsbury,
Woolworth and Adams. “SA8000 is a third-party certification that
reiterates our commitment to an ethical workplace and will open
more doors as our business grows,” he added.
An ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified company, Hayleys MGT
Knitting Mills Ltd., produces four million metres of fabric per
month and is a key supplier of high quality knitted fabric to
the Sri Lankan apparel industry and to direct export markets.
Over 10 per cent of its production is exported directly. In the
three months ending June 30, 2007 the company reported profit
before tax of more than Rs.100 million and post-tax profit of
Rs.97 million on a turnover of Rs 1,462.5 million.
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