EarthRights International released two reports today. The first Total Impact: The Human Rights, Environmental, and Financial Impacts of Total and Chevron’s Yadana Gas Project in Military-Ruled Burma (Myanmar) explains that Total and Chevron’s Yadana gas project has generated US$4.83 billion dollars for the Burmese regime. The 110-page report explains how the regime would have excluded at least US$4.80 billion dollars of that revenue from the country’s national budget.   Citing “confidential and reliable” sources, ERI named the Singapore based Overseas Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) and DBS Group (DBS) as the offshore repositories of Yadana gas pipeline revenues. The second is Getting it Wrong: Flawed “Corporate Social Responsibility” and Misrepresentations Surrounding Total and Chevron’s Yadana Gas Pipeline in Military-Ruled Burma (Myanmar). Based on seven years of research, this 84-page report describes Total and Chevron’s public relations endeavors, including impact assessments commissioned by the companies since 2002. The impact assessments were conducted by the US-based CDA Collaborative Learning Projects (CDA).

It is interesting that whilst the companies involved are criticised (although not encouraged to withdraw from Myanmar, simply to ‘say what they pay’) the second report focusses on CDA - which conducted impact assessments for the companies in Myanmar - is more a criticism of the CSR industry itself. As the CSR industry develops we can arguably expect more such reviews of tools and practices of professionals in delivering value and credibility to clients. Does this report also demonstrate that the industry is coming of age?

News links on this story here.

There are a number of articles in the press today about work/life balance and the benefits that good worklife balance provides to companies.  For example the Business Times covers a story about Gin Huat, a firm that provided a family care room so staff with childcare difficultues could bring children to work, it also allows some staff to work out of the office. As a result the company has seen a 20% fall in staff turnover. Other stories in the media however, aren't so positive. This article at the Online Citizen reports on an employee called Nur who needs to leave work at 5.30pm rather than 6pm t oensure she can make her dialysis appointments. “They told me that since I cannot be around all the time they cannot extend my contract" the articlestates.  Much positive, but still far to go!

The Employer Alliance in Singapore has launched a Work-Life Strategy Toolkit for employers.   The Employer Alliance is described as a network of corporations committed to create an enabling work environment to enhance work-life integration. The tool  and case studies can be found here and will be reviewed in CSR Asia Weekly next Wednesday.    The strategies in the toolkit focus on Flexible Work Arrangements, Leave Benefits and Employee Support Schemes. This is interesting in light of a newspaper article in My Paper today where there is a survey which finds that for Singaporeans Work/Life balance is their 4th top ten concern for the next six months.  17% of respondents reported WLB behind 1. Job Security 2. The Economy and 3. Health.

This is an interesting Al-Jazeera documentary which is an investigative piece looking at the practices of recruitment agents who move workers from Bangladesh to Singapore and Malaysia. Workers are paying high fees to agents in Bangladesh to secure jobs and work visas (6K in Singapore, 3K in Malaysia) but often find themselves without a job and owing huge amounts to loan sharks they have borrowed money from.  The documentary also focuses on an underground banking system that operates a parallel system moving money between countries which allows this payments to be remitted undetected.   The report argues that those hiring the workers are also taking a cut of the payment for recruiting these men.  This is interesting for business who are using workers on this 'outsourced model'.  Do you know where and how your workers enter your workforce? For those looking at their supply chain - do you know where the workers are coming from for the companies within your supply chain?  The treatment of migrant workers is a hot topic that is set to stay .

(From Al-Jazeera English)