All Nokia factory workers have the right to work under safe and supportive labor conditions. Labor conditions at all our production sites must meet recognized international standards. This is not only the right thing to do, but makes good business sense too.

Nokia is a responsible company - a company whose responsibilities extend to the well-being of the people our operations have an impact on and the locations we operate in.

Nokia’s responsibilities also include attracting competent and committed workforce and conducting our business in a way that satisfies our customers, consumers and investors and employees. This is why we want to provide good and ethical working conditions in all our production sites.

Compliance with local law is naturally the foundation for all our activities. In addition to that we aim at complying with global good practices that often go above and beyond the scope of the local legislation.

These global good practices are defined in the Nokia Labor Condition Standard. It is a framework based on Nokia’s Code of Conduct, UN human rights declarations, ILO conventions, international ethical standards and international labor laws. It has also been benchmarked against SA8000 and EICC standards and we have emphasized our industry’s requirements in it.

Management system
Ethical labor practices in Nokia factories are enabled by the management system. It outlines the commitment, required processes and communication practices that lead to active implementation of the criteria set in the Labor Condition Standard.

Our aim is that professional, straightforward assessments, clear measurement systems and well established follow-up process will make it easier for factory managers to implement changes. We also expect this to add value in various communications with external and internal stakeholders.

We acknowledge that putting our operations subject to independent validation is the best way to ensure ethical labor practices. In 2008, all nine Nokia factories were assessed against the Nokia Labor Condition Standard. The assessments were conducted by a professional social assessment company, STR-CSCC. Going forward, third party assessments will be carried out every second year.

Assessment process
During the assessment the assessors interview employees and management, observe the factory site and review documents related to employment practices. Employee interviews are a valuable source of information. They are highly confidential and conducted professionally.

Labor condition management at Nokia is a continuous development process. Corrective action plans are agreed to close any possible gaps found during the assessment. Factory management then commits to implement the needed changes, and improvements are followed-up regularly by global compliance manager and the factory itself.

Training
Training on the Nokia Labor Condition Standard and Code of Conduct is provided to all factory workers. Factory workers go through a face-to-face training session that focuses on the Nokia Labor Condition Standard and its implementation at factory level. An e-learning solution is also provided to all non-production Nokia employees.