Guides / Supply chains and worker grievances
Grievance mechanism criteria: the UN's eight tests
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights set out what makes a grievance mechanism effective. Principle 31 lists eight criteria. Here is what each one means for a company that wants to hear from workers at its own sites and at its suppliers.
What an operational grievance mechanism is
Principle 29 of the UN Guiding Principles says businesses should establish or take part in effective operational-level grievance mechanisms for people who may be harmed by their operations, so that grievances can be addressed early and put right directly. "Operational-level" means the mechanism is directly accessible to those people, such as workers at your sites or at your suppliers, rather than a court or a state body.
Principle 31 then lists eight criteria. The first seven apply to any non-judicial grievance mechanism. The eighth applies to operational-level mechanisms that businesses help run.
The eight criteria in practice
| Criterion | What the Principles say | A question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Legitimate | Trusted by the people meant to use it, and accountable for fair conduct. | Can the supplier's management see or block what a worker raises? |
| 2. Accessible | Known to everyone it is meant for, with help for people who face barriers. The commentary names awareness, language, literacy, cost, location and fear of reprisal. | Can a worker who doesn't read English, on a night shift, with no computer, use it today? |
| 3. Predictable | A clear, known procedure with an indicative time frame for each stage, and clarity on possible outcomes. | Does the worker know when they will hear back, and what could happen? |
| 4. Equitable | Aggrieved parties have reasonable access to the information, advice and expertise they need. | Can the worker ask questions and get answers, not just submit a form? |
| 5. Transparent | Parties are kept informed of progress, and enough is shared about the mechanism's performance to build confidence. | Do you report numbers, themes and outcomes, to workers and in your statements? |
| 6. Rights-compatible | Outcomes and remedies accord with internationally recognised human rights. | Who checks that an outcome actually puts things right? |
| 7. A source of continuous learning | Lessons are used to improve the mechanism and prevent future harm. | What changed in your sourcing or audits because of a grievance? |
| 8. Based on engagement and dialogue | The people it is meant for are consulted on its design and performance, and dialogue is used to address and resolve grievances. | Did workers help design it, and can you talk with the person who raised the grievance? |
Where supply chain grievance mechanisms usually fall short
- The route runs through the supplier. A complaints box in the factory manager's office fails the legitimacy test on day one.
- One language. Migrant workers are often the most exposed and the least able to use an English-only form.
- No reply. A hotline that takes reports but never answers fails predictability and transparency, and teaches workers not to call again.
- Nobody knows it exists. A number in a supplier code of conduct is not awareness. A poster in the dormitory might be.
- No data. Without counts, themes and response times, you cannot show the mechanism works or learn from it.
What to measure
- Sites and supplier sites with a working route, and the languages covered.
- Grievances by site, theme and month. A site that never raises anything needs a visit.
- Time to first reply and time to close.
- Outcomes, and how many grievances led to a change.
- Retaliation reports after a grievance.
These figures also feed the due diligence and effectiveness sections of a modern slavery statement.
Where Tellhaven fits
Tellhaven can be the route workers use. Each site, including supplier sites, gets a link or QR code that does not pass through the supplier's management. Workers type or talk in their own language, Haven asks follow-up questions, and your team replies in the same thread, so the worker is kept informed. Cases, themes and exports give you the measures above. Remedy and decisions stay with your organization. See Tellhaven for supply chains and multilingual worker reporting.