Worker welfare Introduction Ensuring that the businesses we work with provide safe working environments for their people is paramount. However it’s all too easy to forget that welfare isn’t solely concerned with making sure that the proper health and safety standards are adhered to. The John Lewis Partnership prides itself on the happiness of the Partners within its businesses. At Waitrose we strive to exemplify this culture for our suppliers and for each farm that we source from and insist on the highest standards of worker welfare throughout our entire supply chain.
Improving worker welfare conditions is a win-win for all members of the supply chain and we would encourage growers to share resources and best practice on worker welfare where appropriate. Resources on worker welfare can be found on the Waitrose Sustainable Agriculture website (http:// sustainableagriculturewaitrose.org/). To share any such resources, please contact the Waitrose Responsible Sourcing Team, who can arrange for these to be uploaded. Welfare is central to building a sustainable future as the success of any journey towards sustainability will always be based on the decisions and implementations of the people involved. In this section we have used example questions rather than an exhaustive list, therefore we have summarised the overall performance of the category instead of looking at each question in turn.
Foundation Funded Initiatives
KHE Njegas health centre, Kenya The KHE Njegas health centre received Foundation funding with the main aim of ensuring the facility is sufficiently equipped to operate the new laboratory and maternity facilities. The health centre was built through a contributory or matching fund established by KHE and 10 smaller grower groups in Karie. For every kilo of green beans sold for export, the growers and KHE would contribute $0.013 USD to the project raising $120,000 USD of which $80,000 was used for the construction of the health centre. Additional objectives of the project were to provide a closer relationship with growers and strengthen KHE’s presence in the local area.
The provision of modern medical services has vastly improved the care for expectant mothers who would otherwise need to travel 27km or more to reach the nearest referral facility in Kerugoya. The centre has already helped in the reduction of risks during births and also offers health care for children. Immunisations for the young to prevent diseases that cause childhood mortality have been vital, as well as offering improved maternal health care through various health promotion programmes offered at the centre. With two nurses and one lab technician employed in the health centre, it has the capacity to cater for approximately 1,500 patients per month.
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