Safeguarding Labour Rights
Fair working conditions are part of our Supplier Code of Conduct
We are committed to ensuring fair working conditions within the tourist sector. Thus, we have introduced human and labour rights standards into our Supplier Code of Conduct. These contractual provisions commit our suppliers to respecting local employment law and international human rights, to not tolerating any discrimination on the basis of sex or religion, to offering a safe and hygienic workplace and to paying at least the minimum wage for the work done. The application of Kuoni’s sustainability criteria is assessed and verified. We also strive to help our partners meet these requirements over the longer term, and to ensure due and appropriate acknowledgement of their achievements in this regard. Please find more information about the Supplier Code of Conduct here.
Professional Training in Myanmar
Kuoni is convinced that better-trained people are also better able to secure fair working conditions and ensure that their rights are fully respected. This is why we actively support vocational training for future tourist-sector specialists. For example, Kuoni supports a centre for vocational training in Yangon, Myanmar’s most important city, which has developed a three-year “Hotel & Gastronomy Assistant” course to train young people in a wide range of professional skills: guest relations, human resources, administration and service in the kitchen or at the reception of hotels and restaurants.
The course is divided into a practical and a theoretical section. In the first part, the student works at a company and acquires a broad range of skills. Parallel to this, they attend school one day a week to learn such theoretical matters as food safety and hygiene or business management. English, cultural studies and environmental care are also on the curriculum. After completing this comprehensive vocational training, the students will have widened their horizons and can look forward to a truly promising future.
Kuoni supports these “Hotel & Gastronomy Assistant” courses from beginning to end. A total of 11 students graduated from the programme in 2012; these graduates are now well-equipped to assume management positions or even start up their own business. And Asian Trails, a Kuoni subsidiary based in Asia, also offers graduates temporary work-experience placements and even permanent positions, wherever possible.