2008
Cairn
Reynald Bourque, « Contribution des codes de conduite et des accords cadres internationaux à la responsabilité sociale des entreprises », La Revue de l'Ires, ID : 10670/1.10d046...
Contribution of Codes of Conduct and International Framework Agreements to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)Codes of conduct are multinational companies’ preferred tools for promoting their commitment regarding social and environmental responsibility. International trade unions, for their part, believe that international framework agreements offer better guarantees for the protection of workers’ social and human rights than codes of conduct within multinational companies and with their business partners worldwide. The agreements negotiated between multinational companies and international federations of trade unions have increased significantly in the last ten years and are seen by federations as a priority in an era of globalization. Through a comparison of the content, application and effects of codes of conduct and international framework agreements, this article examines their respective contributions to the social responsibility of multinational companies. This comparison makes it clear that international framework agreements give a greater importance to fundamental workers rights and include more rigorous monitoring procedures than codes of conduct, which serve chiefly as a means of advancing the public image of multinational companies.