Respect for Human Rights

Guided by the Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, we respect the rights of all stakeholders, such as our employees, customers, and shareholders. We support the universal principles regarding human rights and labor practices, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and respect human rights through sound business activities.

Toshiba Group stipulates respect for human rights as Article 1 in the Standards of Conduct for Toshiba Group, and has declared that it conducts corporate activities with consideration of human rights. In light of recent changes in global society's awareness of human rights, we established the Toshiba Group Human Rights Policy in March 2022. We understand that our corporate activities have impacts on human rights, and that we fulfill our responsibilities by respecting the human rights of all stakeholders involved in Toshiba Group's corporate activities.

• Toshiba Group Human Rights Policy(347KB)
  

In formulating the policy, as a signatory to the UN Global Compact, we referred to international norms and guidelines, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and ISO 26000, and reflected opinions and suggestions from a third-party organization specializing in human rights. This policy supplements the Standards of Conduct for Toshiba Group and the Toshiba Group Sustainability Policy, and applies to all persons working for Toshiba Group, including directors, officers, and employees. We also request business partners, suppliers, and related parties to act in accordance with this policy.

The executive officer who oversees the Sustainability Management Division and the Human Resources and Administration Division is responsible for implementation of this policy.

• Standards of Conduct for Toshiba Group
  

Some of the international standards and guidelines on human rights that we refer to in the course of our corporate activities:

• UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
• OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct
• UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
• UN Guiding Principles Reporting Framework
• ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
• ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy
• UN Global Compact
• ISO 26000 (Guidance on social responsibilities)
• GRI Standards
• Responsible Business Alliance Code of Conduct (RBA)

We recognize the importance of implementing our human rights policies not only within the Group but also throughout our supply chain. To this end, we stipulate this policy as “Supplier Expectations” in the Toshiba Group Procurement Policy and request all parties’ adherence. We monitor them through annual CSR surveys.

• Toshiba Group Procurement Policy

Toshiba Group has issued statements on slave labor and human trafficking based on the UK Modern Slavery Act and the Australian Modern Slavery Act.

• Toshiba Corporation(834KB)
• Toshiba International (Europe) Ltd(200KB)
• Toshiba Europe Limited(462KB)
• Toshiba TEC U.K. Imaging Systems Ltd(62KB)
• Toshiba (Australia) Pty Ltd(407KB)
• Toshiba International Corporation Pty Ltd(6.0MB)
• Past statements

Led by Human Rights Enrichment Committee, which is chaired by the executive in charge of Human Resources and Administration Division, Toshiba plans and executes training courses covering key topics on human rights to educate and enlighten employees under the basic principle of respect for human rights. Human Resources and Administration Division serves as the secretariat for the Human Rights Enrichment Committee, formulating basic policies for human rights awareness and enforcing them Group-wide, establishing an internal promotion system, drafting and promoting Group-wide policy on education and training, preparing training materials, developing instructors, following up on the progress of training, consulting and coordinating with outside organizations, and providing instructions and support to promote the concept of respect for human rights throughout Toshiba Group.

In FY2014 and FY2017, as part of its efforts to identify human rights risks, Toshiba Group performed human rights impact assessment in each business in collaboration with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), a US-based non-profit organization that promotes CSR, in order to further understand how our business activities impact human rights issues and recognize the following priorities.

Based on the result, we make the appropriate response to human rights issues, which vary depending on the business area, country or region, when an issue arises.

Since FY2004, we have been continuously monitoring Toshiba Group companies, particularly those located overseas, through human rights risk assessments based on the aforementioned results and international norms and guidelines on human rights as well as CSR surveys targeting our suppliers and mineral procurement surveys. Since FY2019, we have also been conducting similar assessments and surveys using the Risk Assessment Program (RAP), which has been implemented for both domestic and overseas Toshiba Group companies.

• CSR surveys targeting our suppliers
• Responsible Minerals Sourcing Survey
  
• Inspection of Implementation Status of Risk Management and Compliance Measures

For the FY2021 RAP, we conducted human rights-related risk assessments of 176 Toshiba Group companies in Japan and overseas. With regard to harassment, we checked if they had any harassment consultation service and if their employment regulations included matters related to harassment prevention. For companies whose efforts were judged inadequate, we implemented improvement measures.
With regard to questions regarding hiring, we checked if those companies complied with domestic laws and regulations and with international standards for human rights. In addition, we checked if they had hiring manuals, scrutinizing some of the contents thereof. We then implemented improvement measures for any issues which we judged might lead to discriminatory practices, by deleting particular items from the manuals (e.g., implementation of unnecessary medical tests). Moving forward, we will continue risk assessments and reinforce measures to prevent the occurrence of issues concerning human rights.

Our Human Rights Enrichment Committee is the driving force to raise awareness about respect for human rights among employees. It aims to increase the familiarity among all employees in Toshiba Group and its business sites with the Standards of Conduct for Toshiba Group and provide training programs on human rights at the time of hire and before/after employees get promoted or appointed to managerial positions.

Various human rights awareness seminars were held at Toshiba Group in Japan 130 times in FY2021 (up 10% year on year), with around 12,000 participants (up 60% year on year). This includes training concerning human rights issues for general personnel and executives, training for new recruits, training for promoted employees and training for recruitment interviewers.

Toshiba publishes case studies from outside the company regarding violation of human rights on our company intranet, in order to improve employee awareness. We summarize and introduce the key points of risk management and related laws in a nutshell.

In order to increase understanding of human rights issues within Toshiba Group, we hold workshops on human rights at various locations.

Record of workshops on human rights

 A human rights workshop held in Japan in March 2019

• Promotion of Diversity and Inclusion

Toshiba Group receives internal reports and consultations concerning human rights through points of contact for employees and business partners, and also receives complaints and grievance reports from a wider range of stakeholders through a third-party platform.

Toshiba has established the Toshiba Hotline (operating 24/7) for providing information and consulting on action that may be problematic relative to laws, regulations, social norms, corporate ethics, the Standards of Conduct for Toshiba Group, or internal regulations. The aim of the hotline is to prevent risks related to breaches of compliance such as legal violations and fraudulent transactions, and to promote the resolution of problems. Under this system, all employees working in Toshiba Group in Japan*, including non-regular employees, can anonymously consult the hotline personnel on concerns they may have on such matters as workplace culture and interpersonal relations, personnel conditions, or harassment, by phone or e-mail. Personal information such as department, name and contact details will not be disclosed elsewhere without consent of the whistleblower or person seeking advice. In addition, internal regulations stipulate that whistleblowers and people seeking advice shall not be subject to disadvantageous treatment. If the Toshiba Hotline receives a report, it notifies the whistleblower of its receipt thereof and carries out necessary investigations. If it finds any matter that requires corrective action, it will promptly put remedial measures in place to prevent recurrence and will also inform the whistleblower of results of said investigation. In this way, we have established and are operating a response system that complies with the amended Whistleblower Protection Act.
In FY2021, 148 cases were reported to the Toshiba Hotline (79 cases related to labor issues/harassment, 25 cases related to internal regulations/rules, seven cases related to compliance, and others related to the working environment), and in each case we undertook measures that included conducting hearings with the person who made the report and related parties after obtaining the consent of the reporter.

Overseas, we have established the Toshiba Group Overseas Hotline, which commenced operations worldwide in January 2022, to which employees of Toshiba Group companies in different regions can make reports in their local languages, with the main regional headquarters acting as the point of contact. The overseas hotline also allows employees to make reports anonymously, and personal information such as department, name and contact details will not be disclosed elsewhere without consent of the whistleblower or person seeking advice. Also, as with the Toshiba Hotline, internal regulations stipulate that whistleblowers and people seeking advice shall not be subject to disadvantageous treatment.
In FY2021, in addition to the aforementioned 148 cases reported, 41 cases were reported to the Toshiba Group Overseas Hotline. In each case we undertook measures that included conducting hearings with the person who made the report and related parties after obtaining the consent of the reporter.

• Limited to Toshiba and its domestic consolidated subsidiaries

Toshiba Group is creating a system that facilitates employee consultation about harassment and aims to build an inclusive and comfortable working environment in which counselors address concerns together with the employees. Key Group companies have set up consultation centers to deal with issues related to harassment and have appointed one male counselor and one female counselor.
In FY2021, 91 cases were reported to the consultation centers, which have checked details of each case so that they can be reflected in the anti-harassment training.

Toshiba established an Audit Committee Hotline in FY2015 that allows employees to report directly to the Audit Committee, which is not under the command of the President and CEO. The Audit Committee Hotline has been established primarily to prevent the emergence of compliance violation risks, such as violations of laws and regulations, and improper transactions, as well as to accelerate the resolution of issues.

In April 2006, Toshiba set up a supplier whistleblower system Clean Partner Line to receive reports from suppliers and business partners to prevent noncompliance and unfair trading practices by employees in charge of procurement.

Toshiba has been responding to human rights-related reports and consultations from its employees and suppliers.
In order to receive complaints and grievance reports on business and human rights issues from a wider range of stakeholders*,
Toshiba joined the Engagement and Remedy Platform operated by Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights (JaCER) in October 2022. JaCER is an organization that aims to provide the non-judicial platform for redress of grievances and to act in a professional capacity to support and promote redress of grievances by member companies based on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Toshiba Group will respond to complaints and grievance reports in an appropriate manner by utilizing the platform to ensure fairness and transparency in the process.

• Group employees are supposed to use the Toshiba Hotline or Audit Committee Hotline, not this platform.

• Risk Management and Compliance

Toshiba Group actively participates in initiatives by international and industrial organizations to address human rights issues.

• Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) (joined in 2011)
• Human Rights Working Group held by Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) (FY2015-)
• Human Rights Due Diligence Study Group organized by the Global Compact Network Japan (GC-NJ) (FY2013-FY2015, continued from FY2018)

• Participation in External CSR Organizations

Toshiba Group respects human rights of its employees, and actively promotes the creation of an environment in which each of its employees thrive in their respective levels of operation. It is our belief that the building of stable and sound labor relations is vital to achieving sustainable growth of our business.

Toshiba supports the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the Responsible Business Alliance. Toshiba respects the freedom of association of its employees and ensures that they maintain their fundamental labor rights including the right to collective bargaining.
Cognizant of the fact that formation of a labor union is permitted in Japan, Toshiba Union was established consisting of employees belonging to the Company. In the Labor Agreement concluded with Toshiba Union, it stipulates that Toshiba Union has the three rights of labor (the right to association, the right to collective bargaining, and the right to act collectively). Toshiba Union was comprised of 14,636 members as of March 31, 2022, accounting for 96.2% of employees^*1. The Toshiba Union belongs to the Toshiba Group Unions^*2, which has a membership accounting for 84.2% of Toshiba Group employees. By cooperating with unions in the development of our company business and in the maintenance and improvement of labor conditions for union workers, Toshiba aims to ensure stable and orderly labor relations under the fundamental principles of Labor-Management Equality, Mutual Trust and Mutual Understanding, and Prior Consultation.

Employees are paid at or above the minimum wage stipulated by laws, and any increases in minimum wages are reflected in the wages the employees receive. Toshiba also respects the concept of equal pay for equal work.

In order to foster awareness of employee participation in management and contribute to their asset-building efforts, we established the Toshiba Employees Shareholding Association^*3, which regularly purchases shares of Toshiba Corporation for asset building purposes. We have introduced a framework for granting restricted stock incentives^*4 with the aim of encouraging officers and certain employees who are candidates for succession to the management team to share the same values as shareholders and strengthen the drive for enhancing corporate value.

• This percentage refers to the ratio of Union members to regular employees, excluding supervisors, pursuant to the Labor Standards Act. Of the employees stated above, employees (HR, Accounting, Security work, etc.) who are stipulated as non-Union members in the Labor Agreement are not included in the ratio calculation. Including Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation, and Toshiba Digital Solutions Corporation.
• The Toshiba Group Unions is headed by the Japanese Electrical Electronic & Information Union (JEEIU). It is formed mainly by labor unions organized within Toshiba Group in Japan in agreement with the association’s principles, objectives, and bylaws.
• Out of 93 Japan-based consolidated Group companies to which our employees belong, 67 (72.0%) participate.
• Introduced to Toshiba Corporation, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation, Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation, Toshiba Digital Solutions Corporation, Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corporation, Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation and Toshiba Carrier Corporation.

Toshiba enjoys stable labor relations with Toshiba Union, which employees may join. Under the fundamental principles of Labor-Management Equality, Mutual Trust and Mutual Understanding, and Prior Consultation, we hold labor talks with it for practical and amicable solutions.

At the Toshiba Group Labor-Management Congress held every six months in Japan, which is attended by executive management including the President and CEO, executive officers and presidents of key Group companies, Toshiba discusses Toshiba Group’s business policies with representatives of the Association of Toshiba Group Unions, with which the labor unions of Toshiba and Toshiba Group companies in Japan are affiliated.

Toshiba Group companies overseas hold discussions with their labor unions or employee representatives in accordance with the laws and regulations of the countries in which they operate.

Furthermore, at the request of labor unions, we hold spring labor-management negotiations between February and March every year, at which a range of matters, including wages, retirement benefits, and the Labor Agreement, are negotiated. We also discuss and confirm with the unions the ways in which our employees work.

Toshiba and Toshiba Union hold dialogues based on a spirit of mutual trust, mutual understanding and prior consultation in line with our basic philosophy of labor-management equality with the aim of improving labor-management relations and business operations. The management status is explained on a regular basis through a labor-management council held once every six months and labor-management meetings with top representatives from both parties. In addition, discussions between labor and management are held on a daily basis at the Toshiba Group company level and business site level.

We share with Toshiba Union matters such as major reorganizations reforms or large-scale transfers of union members, and designate the matters including changes in working conditions and other labor-related issues as the matters to be discussed in advance with the union. On each occasion, we have a discussion with sufficient timelines for adequate discussions between labor and management.

In FY2021, as in the previous year, we explained to the labor unions our measures against the COVID-19, including measures to prevent infections and for workplace vaccination. We also ensured multiple opportunities to explain the Toshiba Group’s management status to the Association of Toshiba Group Unions as well as the Toshiba Group Labor-Management Congress, to help enhance our employee’s understanding of the management status. We are also continuing to hold labor-management talks on measures to be taken during and post-COVID. With regard to where to work, we have also been discussing the possibility of a hybrid work style, which enables individual employees to choose whether to come to the office or work remotely and therefore improves employees’ flexibility in choosing where to work. Our discussion also encompasses a remote work style, in which, depending on the work content, all work can be carried out remotely without requiring employees to come to the office. In FY2022, we will continue to hold labor-management discussions in an appropriate manner when necessary in accordance with the Labor Agreement. We have not been subjected to any industrial action such as strikes or lockouts from labor unions belonging to the Association of Toshiba Group Unions, including the Toshiba Union.