(6 OECD Guidelines | UNGPs 22, 29, 30 and 31)
The Ethics Committee is the specialised body responsible for independently and impartially overseeing the communication and compliance of the Code of Conduct and the Anti-Corruption Policy across all companies within the Group.
In accordance with the Irregularity Reporting Policy approved by the Company, the Ethics Committee provides a digital platform (available at www.jeronimomartins.com and ethicscommittee.jeronimomartins.com) for reporting violations, confidentially and anonymously if desired. For more information on how reports are handled and their resolution rate, see “Customer support services”.
Additionally, we have four Ethics Units in Portugal, two in Poland and one in Slovakia. These are autonomous whistleblowing channels which, alongside the Ethics Committee, are responsible for receiving and following up on reports of irregularities relating to the Companies, submitted by any stakeholders, while prohibiting retaliatory acts against those who report in good faith. The Ethics Committee and the Ethics Units allow anonymity and operate according to the principles of independence, impartiality, integrity, confidentiality and absence of conflicts of interest.
There are also other bodies that receive and follow up on complaints on specific topics: the Committee for Combating Mobbing, Discrimination and Sexual Harassment, which is formed whenever a complaint on this matter is filed in Poland; and the Workplace Coexistence Committee in Colombia, which investigates and deals with complaints related to working conditions or other labour issues.
Employees also have access to the Employee Service Desk for reporting, clarifying and resolving labour‑related issues, as well as for receiving and forwarding social support requests. This channel ensures confidentiality, independence and impartiality, protecting employees against any retaliation, discrimination and/or restriction of their rights.
For more information regarding the communication channels available to different stakeholders, see “Stakeholder engagement and communication channels”.
We are currently strengthening our human rights due diligence process in line with OECD recommendations and with the European Union legislation on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, as well as in relation to corruption prevention and mitigation, in compliance with the applicable legal framework.