• Operations which are deemed to contravene basic human rights or be involved in clear instances of social injustice shall not be certified.
• Operators shall not use forced or involuntary labour.
• Employees and contractors of organic operations have the freedom to associate, the right to organise, and the right to bargain collectively.
• Operators shall provide their employees and contractors equal opportunity and treatment and shall not actin a discriminatory way.

Operators shall not hire child labor. Children are allowed to experience work on their family’s farm or a neighbouring farm provided that:

1. such work is not dangerous or hazardous to their health and safety
2. it does not jeopardize the children’s educational, moral, social and physical development
3. children are supervised by adults or have authorization from a legal guardian

LABOUR CONDITIONS

• Forced labour, including bonded or involuntary prison labour, shall not occur.
• Children shall not be employed (or contracted) below the age of 15.
• Working shall not jeopardise schooling or the social, moral or physical development of the young person.
• The minimum age of admission to any type of work which by its nature or the circumstances under whichit is carried out, is likely to jeopardise the health, safety or morals of young people, shall not be less than 18 years.
• Employment shall not be conditioned by employment of the spouse. Spouses have the right to off-farm employment.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Salaries shall be in line with or exceeding regional average and official minimum wages for similar occupations. The employer shall specify wages for all functions.
• Payment shall be made regularly and in legal tender and properly documented.
• Regarding other conditions of employment such as maternity leave, social security provisions, nonmonetary benefits, etc. at least the provisions as laid out in the Collective Bargaining
• Agreement or the Agreement signed between the workers’ committee shall be fulfilled.
• All workers shall be employed under legally binding labour contracts.
• The organisation shall work towards all permanent workers having the benefits of a provident fund or pension scheme.
• An adequate sick leave, working hours and overtime regulation shall be put in place.
• Through time salaries shall be gradually increased to levels above the regional average and official minimum.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY

• Workplaces, machinery and equipment shall be safe and without risk to health. Independent inspection may be required to be carried out by a competent authority or independent inspection agency to assure ongoing safety.
• The following persons are not allowed to work with the application of bio-pesticides that are otherwise
• approved for use under this Standard ACOS: persons younger than 18 years; pregnant or nursing women; persons with incapacitated mental conditions; persons with chronic, hepatic or renal diseases; and persons with respiratory diseases.
• Those handling organic agrochemicals shall be adequately trained in storage, application and disposal of these products both in terms of safety and in terms of organic requirements. These personnel shall be actively informed, on an ongoing basis, of all relevant information on the product they are handling by the producer organisation. This information shall be provided in the local language.
• Adequate personal protective equipment of good quality shall be available and appropriate, especially for the use of organic agrochemicals. Workers handling agrochemicals must use it.