Approach to Human Rights and Labor Policies
To become an innovator by leveraging diverse human resources, it is essential to respect the human rights of individuals. Based on this belief, Murata’s Human Rights and Labor Policies specify the commitment of each executive and employee to respect, protect, and not violate the basic human rights of all stakeholders. We aim to reduce risks and improve governance as well as to establish sustainable business foundation by understanding the broadening scope of human rights and respecting human rights throughout the value chain.
Therefore, in addition to the United Nations “Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights“ as well as the spirit of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Murata supports and respects global standards of social responsibilities including the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), sets policies related to human rights and labor, and respects the human rights and labor of all workers. We will clearly communicate our expectations toward human rights to all interested parties including business partners. We have established a management system to promote these operations. Based on our basic policy on human rights and labor, we continuously run through the PDCA cycle below (P: Identification and evaluation of negative impact, D: Prevention and mitigation of negative impact, C: Monitoring, and A: Explanation and information disclosure).
Governance of respect for human rights
Human Rights and Labor Policies
We (Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and the member companies of the Murata Group; referred to as “Murata”) have formulated a CSR Charter, which provides standards to be observed by all individuals working for Murata. Recognizing that human rights are both universal and an important element in business, and that respect for human rights is a social responsibility in the quest to realize sustainable business activities, we hereby establish the following policies:
1.Respect for fundamental human rights
- (1)
Murata will respect internationally-recognized standards and the laws and regulations, cultures, religions, customs, and histories of all countries and regions where Murata conducts business, and use these as the basis for respecting, protecting, and never violating the fundamental human rights of all Murata employees.
- (2)
Murata will endorses the principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of the International Labor Organization (ILO), the two human rights principles and four labor principles of the United Nations Global Compact, Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Code of Conduct of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA).
2.Prohibition of discrimination and harassment
- (1)
Murata will not engage in any form of discrimination or inhumane conduct that harms the personal dignity of employees in employment practices including hiring, wages, promotions, compensation, and availability of education and training.
- (2)
Murata will not engage in any form of discrimination or offensive and inhumane conduct that harms the personal dignity of employees on the basis of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify or gender expression, race, national origin, disability, pregnancy, religion, political affiliation, union membership, military or veteran status, protected genetic information, current or past marital status, or having children including, for example, violence, gender-based violence, power harassment, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, corporal punishment, emotional or physical oppression, bullying, public shaming, and verbal abuse.
- (3)
Murata will investigate, examine, or confirm matters that may be grounds for the discrimination set forth above to the minimum extent necessary and by necessary means only in cases where doing so is necessary to comply with laws and regulations or to ensure workplace health and safety or to maintain employee health. Specifically. Murata do not make workers or potential workers to take medical or physical tests, including pregnancy and virginity tests and HIV tests.
- (4)
Murata will strictly manage personal information (e.g., pregnancy, hepatitis B infection, HIV infection, etc.) obtained through such investigation, examination, or confirmation and shall not use such information for any purpose other than the purposes specified above.
3.Prohibition of forced labor
- (1)
Murata strictly prohibits any forced labor by employees in its business activities.
- (2)
Murata will guarantee that all employee labor including overtime work in its business activities is voluntary and shall cause managers not to force employees to perform labor contrary to their will.
- (3)
When concluding labor agreements, Murata will take the following measures to ensure that forced labor does not occur:
- a.
Labor agreements will be concluded in the employee’s native language or a language that the employee understands.
- b.
Employee personal identification document and work qualification documents issued by a public authority will be confirmed to the minimum extent necessary and by necessary means when concluding a labor agreement, and demands to deliver or entrust original documents to the employer shall not be made.
- c.
No fees, guarantee money, or other monies, regardless of designation, will be collected or received. If any such fees are found to have been paid by workers, such fees shall be repaid to the worker.
- d.
Foreign migrant workers must receive the employment agreement prior to the worker departing from his or her country of origin and there shall be no substitution or change(s) allowed in the employment agreement upon arrival in the receiving country unless these changes are made to meet local law and provide equal or better terms.
- e.
All workers shall be free to leave work at any time or terminate their employment without penalty if reasonable notice is given as per worker’s contract.
4.Prohibition of child labor and restrictions on the employment of minor workers
- (1)
Murata strictly prohibits employment of children in its business activities. In this policy, “child” means a person under the age of fifteen (15) or a person who has not reached the age for the completion of compulsory education in the respective country or region, or the age at which labor is permitted pursuant to the laws and regulations of the respective country or region, whichever is later.
- (2)
Murata prohibits the employment of workers under the age of eighteen (18) years (referred to as “Minor Workers”) at night or on days off or in work that exposes the Minor Worker to health or safety risks.
- (3)
Murata shall cause managers not to hire or employ children and not to allow Minor Workers to engage in the work prohibited in Paragraph (1).
- (4)
When concluding labor agreements, Murata will confirm employee ages using documents issued by public authorities to prevent situations contrary to the preceding three subclauses from occurring.
- (5)
Murata shall ensure proper management of student workers through proper maintenance of student records, rigorous due diligence of educational partners, and protection of students’ rights in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. In the absence of local law, the wage rate for student workers, interns, and apprentices shall be at least the same wage rate as other entry-level workers performing equal or similar tasks.
5.Respect for the rights of labor organizations
- (1)
Murata will respect and will not infringe on employees’ freedom of membership in labor unions and the right of collective bargaining by labor unions in accordance with internationally-recognized standards and the laws and regulations of each country and region where Murata conducts business.
- (2)
Murata will respect the operations of labor unions, engage in open collective bargaining based on mutual trust, and strive to resolve problems with labor unions through good-faith and constructive discussion, taking into account the labor practices of the relevant region.
- (3)
Murata will not engage in discrimination, retaliation, harassment, or any other disadvantageous treatment on the basis of employee membership in a labor union, request for collective bargaining, participation in collective bargaining, or exercise by workers of the right to organize or the right to collective bargaining.
6.Ensuring proper working conditions
- (1)
Murata will properly comply with working conditions relating to working hours, days off and holidays, breaks, wages, and so on in accordance with the laws and regulations of each country and region where Murata conducts business pursuant to internationally-recognized standards. In cases where there are discrepancies between internationally-recognized standards and the laws and regulations of each country and region where Murata conducts business, Murata shall seek methods to comply with internationally-recognized standards. Workers shall be compensated for overtime at pay rates greater than regular hourly rates.
- (2)
Murata shall establish reliable working time management systems, accurately record working time and days off in accordance with such systems, formulate rules for proper working time management, and conduct management to prevent deviation from those rules.
- (3)
Murata shall present to employees pay statements in each employee’s native language or a language that the employee understands, pay wages in accurately-calculated amounts by the pay dates accurately specified in accordance with (1) and (2) above, and shall not make any improper deductions.
- (4)
With respect to the payment of wages pursuant to the preceding paragraph, in cases where minimum wages are specified by the laws and regulations of each country and region where Murata conduct business, Murata will ensure that wages exceed such minimum wages.
7.Human rights due diligence
- (1)
In order to carry out these policies, Murata will establish a Management Manual on Fundamental Human Rights and Labor Policies, conduct management in accordance with the manual, and make revisions and improvements as necessary.
- (2)
Murata will periodically and continuously conduct appropriate education for officers, managers, and employees and confirm the status of such education so that human rights due diligence is understood and effectively carried out.
- (3)
If any circumstances contrary to these policies are discovered, Murata will promptly implement appropriate corrective measures.
8.Support for business partners
Murata will request that business partners throughout the Murata supply chain endeavor to realize a society in which these policies are complied with and shall provide support for those efforts.
Murata Manufacturing Co.,Ltd.
President Norio Nakajima
- This policy is subject to periodic supervision by the Board of Directors.
System to promote human rights
At Murata, respecting human rights and diversity is recognized as a key focus (materiality). Based on our "Basic Policy on Human Rights and Labor," the "Human Rights Committee" was established as a subcommittee to the CSR Management Committee chaired by our president to carry out initiatives and work regarding human rights. The Human Rights Committee is chaired by the officer in charge of human rights and run mainly by the Human Resources, Procurement, and Sustainability Promotion Department, which plays a central role in addressing human rights in the company. The committee serves as a forum for determining company-wide policies and initiatives. When required, associated parties are also included in the committee as members as a means of implementing the PDCA cycle. The Human Rights Committee meets twice a year. For the day-to-day handling of human rights issues, a working group has been established that meets regularly at least once a month to move initiatives forward. The concerns discussed by the Human Rights Committee are reported to and discussed within the CSR Management Committee, and the Board of Directors provides direction on the topics addressed.
Management system specialized in labor rights issues that may occur at Murata
We have established a "Human Rights and Labor Management System" at each business site, which conforms with the "Human Rights and Labor Management Manual." Each year, we aim to continue to run through the PDCA cycle by conducting risk assessments for the business site; proposing and administering goals and plans; monitoring, evaluating, and making corrections; and conducting management reviews. Any business site concerns are reported to the officers in charge of human rights and labor. We are also working toward strengthening the system while consulting with appropriate associated departments.
Link:
Overview of Murata’s Corporate Governance System
Human rights due diligence
Impact assessment
In fiscal 2020, we asked external experts for advice while conducting human rights impact assessments (evaluations to determine the impact of Murata Group business activities on possible risks involved with human rights). We are currently reconfirming the status of forced labor (including issues with child labor, foreign workers, and working hours), gender discrimination, harassment, labor organization rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining rights), our impact on local communities, and the impact of our products on society from various angles at each of our plants and business sites, and are handling any risks we identify.
We are also promoting consideration for human rights when business sites are constructed or expanded, by conducting a variety of assessments and considering our impact on the regional environment.
Expert comments
Hidemi Tomita (President, LRQA Sustainability Co. Ltd.)
The human rights risks in a company's own factories and supply chains as well as the risks when procuring the minerals that are the raw materials have been widely pointed out in the electronics industry. In addition, it is believed that products based on the application of new technologies and service related human rights risks will also increase in importance going forward. I hope that Murata Manufacturing continuously strengthens its corrective actions based on the human rights and labor management system and monitoring through CSR procurement as well as its initiatives to prevent human rights risks with respect to the diverse human rights risks identified in the current human rights risk evaluation.
Potential human rights risk mapping
In order to properly understand potential human rights issues along our value chain and make the improvements needed to prevent them, we are mapping any risks of potential human rights violations identified through human rights due diligence and gaining understanding of the human rights issues that need to be addressed.
Management of salient human rights issues
Based on the impact assessments, we are addressing the following internal labor rights issues as priority issues.
Reviewing excessive working hours
Even outside the range of legal compliance, Murata is making efforts to establish corrections for long work hours.
Worker fatigue can result in reduced productivity, increased turnover, and increased potential for injury and illness. We are working to reduce risks associated with overworking by providing employees with healthy lifestyles, both physically and mentally.
For example, we consider engineers working long hours to be a human rights issue, and Murata Manufacturing management is working with labor to improve and correct issues based on the labor-management agreement signed with the labor union.
For example, we established a cooperative labor and management body for discussion between labor union members, business divisions, and the HR Department. We currently monitor business plan progress and working hours every quarter, in order to prevent engineers from working long hours during busy periods in important businesses.
As a result, we were able to reduce engineer overtime in applicable departments in fiscal 2021 to 84% of that in the previous year.
We continue to monitor working hours, and take measures if any increase in overtime is discovered, such as having discussions between labor and management.
In fiscal 2021, we increased paid leave for all employees by three days, in order to help reduce overall working hours (23 days maximum).
Collaboration with partner companies
Murata collaborates with many business partners at manufacturing sites. We consider our partner companies and their employees to be important stakeholders, and promote various initiatives with this in mind.
First, we work to spread knowledge and obtain compliance with Murata's policies through gaining the endorsement and signatures of partner companies, so that everyone working with or for Murata (including partner companies and their employees) understands and complies with our "Basic Policy on Human Rights and Labor" and "EHS Disaster Prevention Policy.”
Next, we conduct human rights and harassment prevention training through our partner companies, and have a system in place to share information on any comments, reports, or complaints regarding human rights or harassment, in order to ensure that our partner companies and their employees understand and agree with Murata's view of human rights.
We also have our business partners participate in SAQs, audits, and other processes to verify their compliance with our policies and identify any potential human rights risks.
Through these initiatives, we have discovered that the level of awareness for systems including maternity leave and childcare leave for foreign workers in Japan was insufficient. Even though they were capable of acquiring them, some workers did not know that they could be acquired at all. We have achieved familiarization by having business partners review education content to prevent similar cases from happening.
Additionally, we found that an agent recruiting foreign workers for our overseas factories had received deposits from workers to prevent them from canceling their travel. To prevent recurrence of this issue, we urged the agent to stop taking deposits from workers, and at the same time, interviewed the hired workers.
Link: Human Rights and Labor Policies
Link: EHS disaster prevention policy
Murata employees and local coexistence
As stated in our basic policy on social and local community contribution activities, Murata hopes to be "a company whose presence in local communities is a source of pride and joy to those communities." We consider our local communities and their residents to be important stakeholders, and promote various initiatives with this in mind.
One such initiative is that we strive to consider the impact on local communities while actively conducting local hiring to create employment in local communities.
We also provide periodic opportunities to exchange opinions with everyone in the local community in order to avoid human rights issues and other problems arising from Murata factories. If we receive complaints, we use these as opportunities for discussion. These also serve as opportunities for communication in order to prevent and correct any issues that might have a negative impact.
Due to the increase in foreign workers at Murata, we dispatch Japanese language instructors to elementary schools and donate supplies for Japanese language education, to make it easier for these workers to coexist with local communities. Since we have a lot of Japanese-Brazilian workers, we also support the endowment of Portuguese language courses at local universities and donate Portuguese books to nearby libraries. At Fukui Murata Manufacturing, we are currently conducting Portuguese language lessons for employees. This has become an ambitious undertaking, with the number of employees wanting to participate exceeding the class capacity. After participating, some participants have even indicated that they intend to start greeting their coworkers in Portuguese right away!
It has become especially difficult to provide foreign workers with enough information during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to language barriers. Factors such as lifestyle differences could make it even more difficult to communicate and reach a mutual understanding with members of the local community.
In response, we employed a complaint handling mechanism in the form of meetings to exchange opinions in local communities, in order to obtain feedback from members of the local community. We also worked with business partners on efforts such as sharing information in workers' native languages and approaching local stores and other businesses subject to restrictions under a state of emergency.
We hope that such initiatives will lead to more active communication between our employees and foreign workers. We will continue our efforts to prevent discrimination by respecting diversity and promoting mutual understanding.
Link: Responsibility to and actions concerning society and local communities
Human rights training, and measures to prevent harassment
In addition to implementing systems and mechanisms to reduce risk, we believe that it is important to train our employees whenever necessary. Toward that end, we have implemented various measures to prevent harassment, such as conducting annual harassment training for members of management and any employees that are responsible for managing a team.
Since fiscal 2019, we have been using e-learning to provide all employees with annual training on our basic policy on human rights and labor as well as on harassment of all types (including sexual harassment, workplace bullying, and SOGI* harassment). We have also been spreading awareness of our reporting service, in order to help prevent harassment. We treat these as valuable opportunities for managers and all other employees to recognize how important it is to prevent harassment. We also include temporary employees and contract employees in these efforts, with the cooperation of their companies.
We also conduct CSR-related training including human rights topics, and have established first-response guidelines on what to do if harassment may have occurred at a workplace.
We implement punishments based on disciplinary regulations if workers receive discrimination and harassments, and make public announcements based on the policy (without disclosing personal information that may aid in identification).
- SOGI: Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity
|
e-learning |
General training |
Manager training |
New employee training |
Consolidated (domestic) |
95.40% |
96.40% |
- |
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. |
98.80% |
97.50% |
100% |
- Employees only: New employee training only for sites that conduct e-learning, as e-learning is required only at some sites
Lecture meeting
A total of 250 individuals attended a human rights lecture meeting held online for domestic employees in fiscal 2022, on the topic of "Business and human rights - Considering the connections between human rights and business/work at Murata Manufacturing." During the lecture, Professor Sugawara from Osaka University of Economics and Law covered various topics including what is required of companies based on the basic concept of human rights.
Participants also attended a workshop tailored for circumstances at Murata, in which they exchanged opinions and became aware of how perspectives varied from person to person.
A questionnaire was given after the lecture meeting to gather feedback from participants. Based on this feedback, participants felt that it would also have been a good opportunity for members of management to learn, that they realized how important it is to learn about human rights, and that they wanted to take what they had learned about human rights and apply it directly to future issues at manufacturing sites. This suggest that participants themselves will take the initiative to expand their learning.
Example of global human rights training
Overseas, we conduct training on unique topics for each group company.
However, we continue to investigate training that can be deployed on a global level, under the belief that the concept of human rights is universal.
Training overseas:
Grievance mechanism
We have established channels that all workers can use for anonymous consultation both inside and outside the company. We implemented a system allowing the Compliance Promotion Office to respond appropriately should incidents of harassment or violations of human rights occur. Retaliation against workers and other interested parties who have used this service is prohibited.
We also created and distributed cards containing information on using the reporting service and are working on spreading awareness through e-learning, so that workers can more easily use the reporting service.
During fiscal 2022, there were 106 incidents of harassment brought up anonymously by employees and temporary employees, with the Harassment Consultation Desk. However, there were no incidents involving child labor, forced labor, or other major incidents that could result in litigation.
All incidents were tackled and handled with the cooperation of related departments, after taking the wishes of the individual reporting the issue into consideration.
Click here for information on the number of internal reports and consultations.
Link: Internal reporting system and consulting service
Other grievance mechanism:
Link: Consultation services for suppliers
Link: Inquiry form (use this to contact us regarding any other information on labor rights)
Creating a workplace environment and personnel system free from discrimination
We are working to create a workplace environment and personnel system free from discrimination, in line with the tenets of the “Human Rights and Labor” section of our CSR Charter.
We will respect the human rights of every individual and respond with dignity.
- We will prohibit forced labor, and will not permit any child labor be involved in any of our processes.
- We are completely uninvolved in human trafficking. We have confirmed that there is no risk of human trafficking in any of our processes.
- We comply with laws and regulations. We have also received no warnings from supervisory authorities with regard to major violations of the Labor Standards Act.
- We are working to go beyond the standards stipulated by law for working hours, holidays, rest periods, and minimum wage.
- Employees are thoroughly informed about wage structures and personnel systems, and wages are paid regularly in full and on time. Also, deductions are detailed in pay stubs.
- In accordance with the laws of each country in which we are involved, we will respect the right of free association and the right of workers to join labor unions, etc. and we will facilitate free communication between workers and unions. Moreover, even in countries and regions where the formation of labor unions is not allowed under the laws, etc. of each country, we strive to promote problem-solving through dialog between labor and management, which is the objective of executing the rights appended to the freedom of association and labor unions, etc. The union participation rate of each union belonging to the Murata Manufacturing Group Labor Union Association is 81.5% (fiscal 2022).
- In consultation with labor unions and employee representatives, we pay the wages necessary to maintain a standard of living.
- We do not discriminate against women in our personnel system, including the wage system. Regarding the issue of equal pay for equal work, we respect and comply with locally applied laws.
- We strive to reduce overwork so that employees may lead a life which is mentally and physically healthy.
- We conduct visiting classes so that foreign immigrant workers will properly understand their rights.
- We do not charge fees, security deposits, or any other kind of money, regardless of the means or under any name. If any such fees are found to have been paid by workers, such fees shall be repaid to the worker. Using audits and other procedures, we confirm that these policies are also being followed by our recruitment agencies, contractors, and supply chains.
- Based on Murata’s philosophy of Equity, we take reasonable accommodation for recruitment, wages, promotions, remunerations, and education training. (Example: Applying subtitles during promotion selections for employees with hearing impairments, etc.)
- During the last 12 months, there were not any public demonstrations, protests, or adverse media reports involving your facility’s operations or business conduct.
In addition, in order to boost our employees’ awareness of human rights, we have translated our basic policies regarding human rights and labor from Japanese to both English and Chinese, and are conducting human rights education as part of our stratified education programs. Our investigation was unable to find any incidents involving child labor or forced labor in any of our business sites or plants, including overseas.
- To abolish child labor, we have identification check during employment. for preventions.
Comparison between standard minimum wage versus regional minimum wage (Murata Manufacturing)
Regional minimum wage |
150,822 yen |
Standard minimum wage |
173,500 yen |
Percentage of regional minimum wage |
115% |
* Value for major manufacturing sites. Not an average.
Responding to the UK Modern Slavery Act
In accordance with the Modern Slavery Act that came into force in the UK in 2015, we have released the following statement on slavery and human trafficking.
Link: Statement pertaining to the UK Modern Slavery Act