Freedom of Association & Collective Bargaining Policy

Introduction

The ESG Institute Limited ("the Company") respects the right of every worker to freely associate, organise and bargain collectively, in line with the principles set out in ILO Conventions 87 and 98, and Principle 3 of the UN Global Compact. This Policy applies to all employees, workers, contractors, consultants, agency staff, secondees, volunteers and interns who perform work on the Company's behalf, wherever they are located.

Policy Statement

No employee or worker will be subject to discrimination, disadvantage or retaliation for choosing to join, form or refrain from joining a trade union, works council, employee representative body or other lawful association of their choosing. The Company will not interfere with, obstruct or seek to influence such activity, and will engage constructively and in good faith with any lawful body that represents the collective interests of its workforce, should employees choose to establish or join one.

Where local law in a jurisdiction in which the Company operates provides for statutory collective bargaining or worker-representation rights, the Company will comply with those requirements as a minimum standard. Where no such body currently exists, the Company will maintain open channels for employees to raise collective concerns, including through line management, People & Culture, and the Whistleblowing (Disclosure) Policy.

Application to a Distributed Global Team

Given the Company's international and largely remote workforce, including experts, trainers and contributors based across many jurisdictions, this Policy is applied consistently regardless of location. The Company will not use the structure of its distributed team as a means of avoiding or diminishing workers' rights to associate or bargain collectively.

Responsibilities

The Executive Leadership Team is accountable for upholding this Policy. People & Culture maintains the Policy, advises managers on its application, and ensures no retaliatory action is taken against employees exercising these rights. Managers must not discourage, penalise or treat unfavourably any employee who engages in lawful association or collective-bargaining activity.

Raising Concerns

Any employee who believes this Policy has been breached, or who experiences discouragement from exercising their right to associate, may raise the matter through the Grievance Procedure or the Whistleblowing (Disclosure) Policy. No employee will suffer detriment for raising a concern in good faith.

Review

This policy is to be reviewed every two years, or earlier if there are significant changes in law or our operations.

Latest update: July 2026.

This Policy is non‑contractual and may be amended at the Company's discretion.