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"4.
Advocacy/dialogue with government:
- By upholding its commitment to
international human rights standards in dialogue with government, a company
is contributing, albeit in a small way, to a strengthening of the rule of
law.
- While the influence of a TNC
over a host government should not be overstated, neither should it be
minimised. As a major investor and employer in a developing country, a large
TNC does have considerable economic leverage with the government. Whether
through quiet diplomacy with relevant government officials, public
condemnation of human rights abuses, or advocacy for respect for human
rights, TNCs are in a position to raise concerns about human rights abuses
which adversely affect their reputation or the business environment.
Specific instances of abuses that call for company intervention include
arbitrary detention of labour activists, violations of human rights by state
security forces deployed at a TNC installation or the unexplained
disappearance of a company worker. For a TNC not to raise these concerns at
the most judicious level with government officials, while adopting the
argument of political neutrality or cultural relativism, is to fail to
fulfil its responsibility to uphold international human rights standards.
Inaction may make the company a target of labour unrest, community protest
or pressure group campaigning."
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