Supporting our joint venture partner in assessing human rights risks in Saudi Arabia
One of our joint ventures is setting up a plant that will blend Castrol lubricants. Our partner is building the plant, and the peak of construction will involve more than 250 workers, largely made up of migrant labour employed through four or five major contractors
We have worked closely with our partner to support them in assessing the risk of modern slavery – both before and after contracts are awarded. As a result, our partner has:
- checked the recruitment, working practices and worker grievance mechanisms of shortlisted companies
- held meetings with contractors on worker rights and welfare during site visits
- added detailed human rights contract clauses that prohibit passport retention, contract substitutions and charging workers recruitment fees.
After construction work began, the joint venture discovered that a few companies had sub-contracted work without authorization and in some cases delayed payments to those sub-contractors. As a result, people were brought together to request that no further unauthorized sub-contracting takes place.
Our partner is monitoring contractor and sub-contractor performance through regular site visits and labour rights training.
The guidance and support that BP shared as part of the venture on how they identify human rights risks influenced us significantly. It helped us address new areas of concern relating to work practices in the local industry and our project is now progressing in the right way.
Suleiman Abdullah,director, Al Khorayef Lubricants Manufacturing Company Limited