PTBB currently employs 591 full-time staff in Indonesia, including 42 staff working at the plant (October 2015). Plant staff numbers are estimated to reach 198 permanent employees once the installed capacity is reached (approximately one year after plant production commences). Some workers are hired on a temporary basis, on a 6-12 month contract, during which period they are evaluated before being offered permanent employment. These workers, usually recent high school graduates, will be involved in tasks as such as production and packaging, quality control and maintenance. The human resource policies and procedures are applicable to both permanent and temporary employees alike. In addition, PTBB will utilise contractors for non-core operational activities such as cleaners, canteen workers and drivers.
Human Resource Policies and Procedures
PTBB’s HR Policy, based on Indonesian requirements and B. Braun’s standard employment practices, is supported by PTBB’s Company Regulation (required under Indonesian law) and Code of Conduct – Statement of Compliance. The HR Policy consists of a set of SOPs that cover recruitment, personnel planning, promotion, transfer and demotion, travel policy, and company regulations. HR is managed by the HR Department in Jakarta.
The Company Regulation, required by the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration for all enterprises with more than 10 employees, contains employee and employer obligations, including working hours, entitlements, leave and termination provisions. The Regulation has almost been finalised and will be distributed to all PTBB employees in Indonesia once it has been approved by the Ministry (expected December 2015).
The PTBB Code of Conduct (currently for 2014-2016, and renewed every two years), written in both Bahasa and English, is provided to every worker upon employment and they are asked to sign it. The Code contains employee responsibilities regarding adhering to applicable laws, conducting ethical practices, protection of PTBB property, information confidentiality, equal employment opportunity, safety, avoiding corruption and bribery, and product safety.
The recruitment of production staff has commenced but will only be completed once the plant commences commercial production in 2018. Vacant positions are advertised on jobs portals and through campus recruitment. All local employees will be hired before commercial production commences. PTBB aims to employ 30% of workers from nearby communities. The approximate breakdown of positions at the plant is: engineering (10%), other technical (40%), and unskilled (50% – to be trained as plant operators, security and other support staff). The HRBP (Human Resources Business Partner) will handle all plant workforce management matters. Monthly meetings on human resource management are held between the HR Director, HRBP and Plant Head.
Working Conditions and Terms of Employment
B.Baun benchmarks its remuneration rates and employment package
against other employers (pharmaceutical producers and other industries), contracting Mercer (an independent consultant) to do this. PTBB exceeds the minimum wage rates set by regional government in Indonesia by between 5-10% for plant operators and clerks, while for skilled positions the minimum wage is commonly exceeded by 20-30%.
PTBB pays the mandatory national health insurance contributions and provides additional private medical insurance coverage for permanent and short term staff. Other staff benefits include access to subsidized canteens and provision of company transport for workers to and from the plant. The target is to keep employee turnover to a minimum (i.e., at or below the national average for the manufacturing sector). A Cooperative of PT. B. Braun’s employees (the “Koperasi”) was established in 2010, pursuant to Indonesian law, to engage in activities for the advancement of members’ welfare. Membership of the Koperasi is for full-time Indonesian employees of PT. B. Braun Medical Indonesia and Group.
The minimum age of employees is not specified in the HR Policy or Company Regulation, but PTBB does not employ anyone below 18 years of age.
Workers Organizations
PTBB complies with ILO Conventions covering union freedom, the protection of union rights, the right to organize and collective bargaining. Union membership is allowed by PTBB staff, but no employees are currently union members in Indonesia. In Indonesia, workers organizations have the right to be affiliated with the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation. Indonesia has ratified 19 ILO conventions, including the abolition of forced labour, freedom of association, minimum age and collective bargaining.
Non-Discrimination and Equal Opportunity
Hiring plant employees will be based on merit, including experience, qualifications and ability. PTBB undertakes equal opportunity employment, with no discrimination based on gender and has a formal policy statement to this effect. At present contract worker benefits are not completely streamlined with permanent staff. For all new contracts, B. Braun will align working conditions and benefits for workers to the extent the benefits are eligible to that category of employment and that position. An estimated 30% of plant staff will be female, mainly employed in plant production and quality control. All employees will receive skills development as per PTBB policy, an essential component of the quality control and compliance system.
Under Indonesian regulations PTBB is required to employ one person with a disability per 100 employees. Accordingly, PTBB shall adhere to this requirement, ensuring that the type of disability allows the applicant to perform the required job.
Grievance Mechanism
PTBB does not have a formal grievance redress mechanism in the HR Policy or existing Company Regulation, although the right of an employee to raise an issue of concern with management is set out in PTBB’s new Company Regulation that
is about to come into effect. This process will enable a staff member to raise an issue with the HR department if it relates to a manager, either in person, by phone or email, and this can be done anonymously. For purposes of the new plant PTBB will implement this mechanism and ensure this is aligned with the requirements of this Performance Standard. This requirement is defined in the project ESAP.
Child Labor and Forced Labor
PTBB does not permit the use of child or forced labour by the company or its contractors.
Occupational Health and Safety
A single OHS management system exists for all B. Braun plants across the world, from which local plans are developed that take into account any additional national requirements. The PTBB OHS system is under development, consisting of SOPs, forms and reports. In total around 2,000-3,000 documents/procedures/forms will be produced for plant operation, based on B. Braun’s approved European and Malaysian manufacturing plant procedures, incorporating continuous OHS improvement. Key documents in this system include: an Environmental, Health, Safety Management Manual; SOPs for EHS risk assessment, emergency prevention and preparedness response, dangerous substance/pollution prevention; and Work Instructions for personal protective equipment (PPE) use, contractor management, chemical exposure monitoring and spill response, chemical waste disposal, and industrial truck use. In addition and as previously noted, the plant will be certified against OHSAS 18001.
Standard staff injury and incident prevention measures in Penang that will be introduced at PTBB’s plant include: EHS orientation/induction training for new employees; on-the-job training; tool box meetings; safety and health talks and campaigns; contractor management; regular workplace EHS inspections; hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control; new machine/process validation; and EHS training. EHS training of staff will cover such topics as GMP, basic microbiology, personal hygiene, machinery/ chemical/ forklift/ fire safety, hearing conservation, and emergency response and first aid.
EHS reports will be provided to the Operations Head and a monthly EHS report is prepared for Board review. A Safety Council made up of management and employee representatives will meet quarterly to identify any issues and develop solutions.
The Penang plant has a formal accident escalation process to ensure timely action is undertaken to rectify a risk or hazard, which shall be applied at the PTBB plant. This process involves manager notification of the incident, completion of an Accident Incident Notification Report (AINR) within 24 hours of the case being reported, identification and implementation of corrective and preventative action/s, and close out of the AINR. In 2014 the Penang plant had 47 “non-reportable” cases (where more than 1 working day was lost per case) and 13 “reportable” cases (where more than 4 days was lost per case).
An
indication of the level of OHS management that will be achieved at the PTBB plant is provided by the Penang plant where highly effective OHS management and enforcement was evident. Indicators included: excellent housekeeping and hygiene within production areas; appropriate safety and hygiene signage throughout the facility; procedural information available at point of use; equipment design to reduce OHS accidents; and no observed violations of EHS procedures.
During plant operation, one safety officer will be provided per shift with 25-150 workers, with an additional officer to be provided for every additional 150 workers. Adequate medical facilities are provided at each B. Braun operating plant to treat most cases apart from acute emergencies. For example, the Penang production plant has three doctors and 24 hr nurse care operating out of three site clinics. The new PTBB plant will have a first aid room in the production area and an ambulance bay in the warehouse area.
A pre-employment medical check is conducted of all potential employees. One of the main OHS risks in the manufacture of parenterals is repetitive strain from the visual inspection and packing of LVPs. Injection moulding of plastic presents a low OHS hazard for the majority of production workers. Other lower occupational health risks include crush injuries from dropping materials, heat injuries and lifting injuries. PTBB will implement the comprehensive approach to OHS implemented by the Penang LVP plant that consists of strict hygiene practices, clear signage on personal protective equipment requirements, standard operating procedures available at the point of use with OHS information included; material safety data sheets available where chemicals are being handled and effective ventilation systems to maintain good workplace air quality.
Workers Engaged by Third Parties
Construction of the plant civil works is being undertaken by Shimizu, a Japanese construction contractor who has been engaged by B. Braun to build a similar plant in Vietnam. This contractor is implementing a high standard of OHS management on site, as evidenced by appropriate signage across the construction area, safe work practices including the use of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) by all workers (e.g. use of harnesses when working at height), and regular toolbox and safety committee meetings.
PTBB requires the construction contractor to meet national labour requirements, with conditions stated in the contracts. The contractor has to fulfil minimum OHS requirements that include chemical management, control of compressed gas cylinders and working at height requirements. The contractor’s Safety Officer produces Daily Safety Inspection Reports to ensure appropriate OHS practices are being upheld at all times, with penalties incurred by the contractor for violations.
During plant construction PTBB has an Employer Representative on site to review and advise the construction contract
or on a range of requirements, including OHS management. PTBB conducts weekly safety meetings with the construction contractors to identify and resolve issues, as well as random site inspections of OHS. During PTBB plant construction one safety officer is provided on site by the civil construction contractor per every 35.
Shimizu’s construction workforce was 250 in mid October 2015, and is set to peak at around 500 in mid-November 2015. Reported worker safety on the civil contractor’s workforce for the five months from May-October 2015 is one “near miss” incident out of 407,000 person hours, with 328 person hours of training conducted. A total of 130 main tool box meetings have been conducted, covering each new construction activity, with 404 regular safety inspections conducted to date.
PTBB will utilise contractors for non-core activities such as cleaners, canteen workers and drivers. Following practices in other operations, PTBB will establish policies and procedures for managing the performance of these contractors in relation to the working conditions, terms of employment, and occupational health and safety of these workers to ensure these align with this Performance Standard. PTBB will also ensure its grievance mechanism is easily accessible to third party workers.
Supply Chain
The primary suppliers of raw materials to all B. Braun plants worldwide for the manufacture of parenterals (and hence to PTBB) are located in: Germany - plastics (polyethylene – LDPE and HDPE); the Netherlands - sugar (dextrose monohydrate); Spain - salt (sodium chloride, calcium chloride dihydrate, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, sodium lactate, sodium acetate, magnesium chloride); and New Zealand and Japan - malic acid. As such, expectations on primary supplier performance on labor and safety is handled at corporate level.