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GEAR For Sports - FLA Independent External Monitoring in GEAR For Sports' Applicable Facilities
A. An Introduction to FLA Independent External Monitoring
FLA independent external monitoring (IEM) is one way that the FLA verifies Participating Companies’ compliance activities in the factories where they produce. The FLA conducts unannounced independent external monitoring visits in approximately 5% of all Participating Company applicable facilities that are deemed to be high risk (and no less than 3.5% of the company’s total factory list), and reports on all noncompliance findings in those factories. By observing these monitoring reports and the company’s ensuing remediation, the FLA can verify a company’s progress in developing systems for effective prevention and remediation of noncompliance issues each year. The FLA tracking charts provide detailed information about monitoring findings and GEAR’s approach to remediation of noncompliance issues.
B. Summary of FLA Year Two Independent External Monitoring in GEAR For Sports' Applicable Facilities
The following table provides information about FLA independent monitoring visits undertaken in GEAR For Sports applicable facilities in Year Two. It provides background information about the factories, the monitors, and their visits.
| GEAR For Sports Independent External Monitoring (IEM) Summary - Year Two |
Number of IEMs in Year Two:
Remediation shared with other FLA Companies:
Remediation undertaken independently:
| 1
0
1
|
| Total person days spent monitoring facilities: |
4 |
| Average person days per facility: |
4 |
| Average number of workers per independently monitored facility: |
362 |
| Regions |
Independent External Monitoring Visits |
FLA-Accredited Monitors Conducting Visits |
| Americas-- Honduras |
1 |
A & L Group Inc. (ALGI) |
C. Independent External Monitoring Results
Chart: Gear for Sports Noncompliance Issues Grouped by Code Provision*
Number of IEMs = 1
Please note: This pie chart provides a very cursory overview of
noncompliance issues organized by FLA Code Provision. Click on any Code
Provision name in the legend below for a list of FLA Benchmarks that are
used to measure compliance with that Provision. A more detailed explanation
of these issues follows in the sections following the pie chart.
* Please visit the FLA tracking charts to learn more about Gear for Sports's approach
to remediation of all of the issues summarized here.
Click here for more about the way this data was collected.
The figure above displays the percentage of total noncompliance issues reported by FLA independent monitors, which GEAR took up through remediation in Year Two.
In the case of GEAR, this graph represents findings and remediation in one factory, since the FLA monitored one GEAR facility this year (see section A for further explanation of the FLA's approach to monitoring). Issues related to Hours and Wages were the most commonly reported, with a total of 51% of all finding relating to Wages and Benefits (23%), Hours of Work (18%), Overtime Compensation (5%), and Forced Labor (5% -- relating to forced overtime; no forced or bonded labor was observed in the facility). Among other things, GEAR has reported that it is working with the factory to ensure that workers do not work through their lunch breaks and do not feel compelled to work overtime against their will. In order to ensure that workers receive legal overtime payment, to install a clock system to more accurately record workers' hours.
Totaling 34% of issues, Health and Safety issues ranged from lack of fire precautions in the cafeteria to workers failure to use safety equipment. Some of GEAR's corrective action plans included working with the factory to conduct trainings for workers about use of safety equipment, and making infrastructure changes as necessary.
It is worth noting that there is a union present in the monitored facility, however the FLA monitor has raised some questions about its legitimacy. Please visit the FLA factory tracking chart to learn more about how GEAR has addressed this and other noncompliance findings.
Click here to review the FLA's aggregate findings from visits to factories producing for 25 Participating Companies and Category B Licensees.
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