Human Rights Policy

Introduction

Human rights are fundamental rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of nationality, place of residence, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status.

Proximus is committed to the highest standards of business and ethical behavior including compliance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as company policies, practices and procedures. Proximus upholds and respects human rights as contained in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the eight Core Labor Conventions developed by the International Labor Organization (ILO), the UN Global Compact, and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Guiding Principles, in particular, clarify the duty of governments to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, including business enterprises, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and a joint responsibility of business and government to remedy adverse human rights impacts if they occur.

Our support of internationally recognized human rights is consistent with our dedication to enriching our workplace, partnering with our supply chain, preserving the environment and supporting the areas where we operate.

Scope

The scope of Proximus’ human rights policy applies to all employees, partners, suppliers, and contractors, and supports the human rights of all Proximus stakeholders.

Objective

The objective of this policy is to:

Definitions

Human rights are basic rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of nationality, place of residence, sex, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. They are the fundamental rights, freedoms and standards of treatment adhered to by governments, businesses, and individuals around the world and to which all people are entitled. Fundamental human rights are found in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, the eight ILO Core Labor Conventions, and various covenants and treaties that implement these principles.

United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The Global Compact exists to assist the private sector in the management of increasingly complex risks and opportunities in the environmental, social and governance realms, seeking to embed markets and societies with universal principles and values for the benefit of all.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was enacted in 1948 by the United Nations and contains 30 high-level principles that established the modern scope of “human rights”.

International Labor Organization (ILO) is the international organization under the United Nations responsible for developing and overseeing international labor standards. It is the only United Nations agency that brings together representatives of governments, employers and workers to jointly shape policies/programs promoting decent work for all.

Global Network Initiative (GNI) is a multi-stakeholder organization committed to working with IT businesses to identify, navigate, and mitigate human rights risk and impacts.

Policy statement

Proximus conducts its business in a manner that respects the rights and dignity of all people. Proximus and its employees must continue to respect, support and promote Human Rights.  

  1. All employment with Proximus is voluntary. We do not use child or forced labor in any of our operations or facilities. We do not tolerate any form of unacceptable treatment of workers, including but not limited to the exploitation of children, physical punishment or abuse, or involuntary servitude. We fully respect all applicable laws establishing a minimum age for employment, in order to support the effective abolition of child labor worldwide.
  2. Proximus abides by all laws and regulations regarding pay practices and the classification of employment according to job level and status.
  3. We respect our employees’ right to choose to join or not join a trade union, or to have recognized employee representation in accordance with local law.
  4. Diversity is embraced at Proximus. We recognize that a diverse mix of backgrounds, skills and experiences drives new ideas, products, and services and provides us with a sustained competitive advantage.
  5. We believe everyone should be treated with respect regardless of their background. We are committed to the elimination of discrimination based on gender, race, class, economic status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, age, political beliefs, veteran status, marital status or any other protected class.
  6. Proximus works with suppliers and partners that uphold the same values and implement similar policies and practices.

In addition to this, Proximus is committed to the following principles

  1. Proximus respects all human rights.
  2. Proximus commits to conducting ongoing human rights due diligence to assess and mitigate potential human rights infringements.
  3. Proximus expects those with whom it does business to respect all human rights.

Compliance & monitoring

Compliance with Proximus policies is required.  Specific to this policy, employees and suppliers are expected to: 

Compliance with this policy is verified through various methods, including but not limited to, audits, self-assessment, and/or feedback to the policy owner, compliance office or investigations department.

Compliance exceptions

There are no exceptions to this policy.

Non-compliance

Non-compliance will be managed by the Proximus Investigations department. Concerns from employees, suppliers, partners or any other stakeholder can be communicated through the same channels as any other ethical issue.
For details, please see Proximus Code of Conduct.

Violation of this policy or the refusal to cooperate may result in disciplinary actions, up to and including termination. Where we have sound reason to believe that our partner organizations infringe human rights, we reserve the right to cease those relationships.

Other useful information

Human rights are a matter which encompasses multiple issues and therefore this corporate human rights policy is supported by other Proximus policies including but not limited to the Proximus Code of Conduct, Diversity Charter, and data policy.