Human rights
We are committed to respecting internationally recognised human rights wherever we do business. Please read on to find out more about our policies in this important area.
We are committed to respecting internationally recognised human rights wherever we do business.
In our Code we say that this means “we strive to prevent, mitigate, and remedy adverse impacts that our business activities or business relationships may have on the human rights of our colleagues, patients, workers in our supply chain and those who live in the communities in which we operate”. Our Human Rights Position Statement (PDF - 196.7kb) lays out our commitment to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the core labour standards set out by the International Labour Organisation.
In alignment with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (PDF - 1.08MB), we periodically carry out company-wide human rights risk assessments to identify our most significant human rights risks. In 2024, we refreshed our salient issues – those areas where GSK’s potential to impact on human rights is greatest – to better understand where our operations, subsidiaries and supply chain may potentially adversely impact individuals and communities.
We engaged external stakeholders and considered employees and potential recruits, patients, clinical trial participants, third-party and supply chain workers, as well as communities. The five salient human rights risk areas below were identified:
Governance
Our GSK Leadership Team and the Risk Oversight & Compliance Council, the most senior leaders in our business, provide oversight of our human rights issues. They are supported by a Human Rights Steering Group. Additional board-level oversight is provided by the Corporate Responsibility Committee.
External engagement
We partner with other companies and organisations to increase the positive impact we have on society. Key collaborations include the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) where we contribute to a number of projects to build members’ and suppliers’ capabilities to address human rights; and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) where we work with other pharmaceutical companies to understand human rights.
Grievance mechanisms
We want to maintain an open environment where people feel confident to raise concerns about possible breaches of our Code or suspected violations of country laws and regulations. Anyone within or outside GSK can raise issues or speak to an independent third party through our Speak Up facility,available in 49 languages, confidentially or anonymously if they prefer. GSK is committed to promptly investigating all reports of unethical, illegal or inappropriate activity.
Codes and policies
Our Code is the foundation of our company policies. It sets out the core standards and ethical behaviours that employees and complementary workers should apply in their daily work and embeds respect for human rights and labour rights across the business. The Code is underpinned by several policies and standard operating procedures that help to uphold human rights.
Our Human Rights Policy sets out our commitment to conduct business with respect for international human rights standards.
Our Global Employment Guidelines and Working with Third Parties Policy set out the minimum standards for our own employment practices and those expected of our third party partners. They are based on international standards, including the International Labour Organization core conventions, and prohibit any form of forced labour or child labour. They also make clear our expectation that no worker should pay for a job.
Our Standard Operating Procedure for Safeguarding and Non-retaliation defines our approach to protecting and supporting individuals who work for GSK and report concerns of significant misconduct in good faith (including exploitative labour practices).
Other relevant policies include those on Equal and Inclusive Treatment of Employees, Pre-employment Screening, Conflict Minerals, Deforestation-Free Sourcing and Anti-bribery and Corruption.
