Third Party Complaints

The FLA Third Party Complaint Process was established as a safeguard for any person, group or organization to report instances of persistent or serious noncompliance with the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct in a production facility used by an FLA-affiliated company, supplier, or university licensee. The goal of the complaint process is to correct any noncompliances identified in the investigation.

The complaint process is not intended to replace or undermine any existing internal grievance channels in the factory or through the affiliated company, or legal remedies available at the country level. Rather, the complaint process is meant to be a tool of last resort when other channels have failed to protect workers’ rights.

Workers and their advocates – trade unions and NGOs – have been the primary users of the FLA Third Party Complaint Process. When complaint that is receivable is lodged, the FLA notifies the relevant affiliated company about the complaint and the allegations. The FLA company has a term of 45 days to investigate and remedy the problem. If the end of the period the complaint has not been resolved, the FLA will intervene by engaging an independent third party to investigate the allegations and recommend corrective actions to the affiliated company. The FLA stays involved until the problems have been mediated and can be verified.

FLA's work through its Third Party Complaint Process has helped to bring about positive improvements in the lives of workers. Lodging a complaint with the FLA can make a difference.

Some outcomes resulting from the complaints process include:

Trade union recognition
Rehiring of unfairly fired workers with back pay
Improved labor management relations in the factory
Training and education programs for management and workers

For more information about how the FLA manages Third Party Complaints, please review our complaint process.

How to File a Complaint

To send a complaint by mail, e-mail or fax, please fill out the FLA Third Party Complaint Form. Provide as much detail and specific information as you can. Feel free to send any additional information you think is relevant to the complaint. If you want the FLA to keep your identity confidential, please indicate so on the complaint form.

You can send your complaint by post, e-mail or fax to:

Jorge Perez-Lopez
Executive Director
Fair Labor Association
1707 L Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036 USA
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Fax: +1-202-898-9050

It is important to note that the FLA Third Party Complaint Procedure is meant to be a tool of last resort. The FLA encourages you to first use internal grievance mechanisms in the factory or through the affiliated company, or local labor dispute mechanisms and remedies provided through local labor administrations to resolve workplace-related issues. The FLA Third Party Complaint Procedure should be utilized when those channels have failed to protect workers rights.

Third Party Complaint Form

To view and download a Fact Sheet and Third Party Complaint form in English, click the following links: English Fact Sheet | English Complaint Form.

For language translations of the form, click on the desired language below:
Bahasa Fact Sheet | Hindi Complaint Form
Khmer Fact Sheet | Khmer Complaint Form
Mandarin Fact Sheet | Mandarin Complaint Form
Spanish Fact Sheet | Spanish Complaint Form
Thai Fact Sheet | Thai Complaint Form