Complaints
The SA8000 system requires a 3-tiered approach to complaints.
Certified organisations are required to maintain an effective complaints process so that employees, personnel and other stakeholders can raise concerns and those concerns will be thoroughly investigated. If an employee is dissatisfied with the outcome or complaint process in their organization, they may escalate the complaint to the CB.
Certification Bodies (CBs) must maintain an effective process to handle complaints about a specific organization’s certification and complaints from employees that have been escalated beyond the individual organization level. If a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome or complaint process at the CB level, they may escalate their complaint to SAAS.
Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS), the assurance division of SAI, maintains a complaints management system for complaints against a Certification Body (i.e. improper certification or auditing procedures or decisions) and complaints that have been escalated from the organization and CB level. The scope of the SAAS investigative process is focused on the audit performance, conduct of the audit, and decision-making process of the CB. The investigation revolves around the certification and accreditation requirements applicable to the audit process.
Concerns regarding a certified organization’s implementation of the SA8000® Standard or a certification body’s audit methods can be reported confidentially to SAI’s affiliate Social Accountability Accreditation Services.
Feedback
SAI welcomes all feedback and suggestions related to the SA8000® Standard. Submissions should be made in writing and sent to [email protected]. Feedback can also be mailed, addressed to:
Senior Director, Standards and Impacts
Social Accountability International
9 East 37th Street, Floor 10
New York, NY 10016