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Aims
The Phone Co-op aims to conduct all of its business dealings in a fair and just way, promoting the
wellbeing of people and communities and minimising negative impacts on the environment.
It recognises that behaviour unacceptable in wider society should not be acceptable in business.
The
Phone Co-op wishes to develop with and sustain with all its members, customers, employees and
other stakeholders a relationship that represents best practice and reflects their concerns and those
of the wider community.
Principles
Co-operative Values
The Phone Co-op’s values are based on the cooperative
values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity and solidarity.
The Phone Co-op:
1. Seeks to demonstrate ethical values of
honesty, openness, social responsibility and
caring for others.
2. Seeks to provide a fair economic return to its
members, who are customers, financed by
profitable trading.
3. Works to achieve a broad base of active
members who make a positive contribution to
the Society’s governance.
Democracy
The Phone Co-op is entirely owned and controlled
by its members, who are customers. Employees are
also encouraged to become members. Members
may submit notices of motions at General Meetings,
and are encouraged to attend and vote at these
meetings.
All members are also encouraged to
vote in the election of the Board of Directors, and
can seek to become directly involved in the running
of The Phone Co-op by standing for election to the
Board.
The Phone Co-op encourages democratic
participation and seeks to adjust to best practice as
co-operative practice evolves.
Transparency
The Phone Co-op:
1. Aims to adopt a policy of clear pricing and to
avoid hidden charges.
2. Is a member of the Office of the
Telecommunications Ombudsman
(www.otelo.org.uk), a dispute resolution service
approved by the regulator (Ofcom). Otelo is a
free and independent service set up to fairly
investigate customer complaints.
Responsibility
Responsible practice
The Phone Co-op:
1. Will not sign up customers without their clear
consent – it opposes practices such as
slamming and high pressure sales techniques.
2. Strives to offer the best possible service to all
its customers in an open and accountable way,
as outlined in its Customer Service Charter.
3. Seeks to treat its staff fairly in accordance with
its Code of Business Conduct Policy and
encourages employee participation.
4. Has an Employee Council and encourages
trade union membership.
5. Does not impose sales targets on agents or
affinity partners as a condition of their
continuing to receive revenue.
Fundraising
The Phone Co-op works with a variety of
organisations to help them to raise funds. These
may include organisations from the Social Economy
sector or other charities and ethical campaigning
bodies.
The Phone Co-op affinity scheme offers
these organisations a percentage of call spend from
customers they have recruited through marketing or
endorsing Phone Co-op services to their
supporters, members or customers.
Co-operative and Social Economy Development Fund
The Phone Co-op contributes some of its profits to
its Co-operative and Social Economy Development
Fund, which supports the development of other
social economy organisations with similar values.
The Phone Co-op has contributed to this fund each
year an amount equal to the dividend it has paid to
members. This fund is being used to make loans to
new and developing co-operatives.
Donations
Whilst the main focus of The Phone Co-op’s
contributions are to the co-operative and Social
Economy Development Fund, it will, where
possible, respond to national and international
appeals for donations from co-operative movement
organisations.
Environment
The Phone Co-op is committed, where practical and
within the resources available, to following
environmental best practice in all of its activities.
Specifically The Phone Co-op is committed to:
1. Offsetting all the carbon dioxide generated by
its activities and those of its telecoms suppliers
through the purchase of CO2 offsets.
2. Purchasing electricity from renewable energy
sources.
3. Using recycled paper and stationery.
4. Developing systems which significantly reduce
paper usage.
5. Promoting the use of public transport by its
employees and directors, and offering bicycles
for all employees for daily use travelling to and
from work.
6. Informing visitors to our offices and people
attending events such as the AGM how they
can reach the venue by public transport, and
encouraging them to do so.
7. Recycling waste products such as paper, toner
cartridges, cardboard, etc.
8. Encouraging its staff to consider the
environment in all aspects of their work.
9. Improving energy efficiency in the workplaces.
Purchasing
The Phone Co-op is concerned that its suppliers act
in a way that is in harmony with the values of its
members, customers and employees.
Where
commercially viable, The Phone Co-op will prioritise
those suppliers whose material, ethical and
environmental practices are in harmony with its own
ethical policy and co-operative values.
The Phone Co-op seeks to develop long-term,
mutually beneficial relationships with its suppliers.
Such relationships can only be effective if suppliers
have a mutual respect for the ethical policies and
practices of the Phone Co-op.
Relationships are
based on trust and honesty at all times.
The Phone Co-op will:
1. Seek to buy from co-operatives and social
enterprises, wherever possible and practical.
2. Seek to buy from local sources, supporting
local businesses and reducing transportation
costs and environmental impact, wherever
possible and practical.
3. Source from suppliers with well established
ethical and environmental practices, wherever
possible and practical.
4. Purchase Fair Trade products, wherever
possible and practical.
5. Purchase paper and envelopes from suppliers
specialising in recycled paper products.
6. Treat suppliers fairly and pay within the agreed
terms.
The Phone Co-op seeks to avoid the use of any
supplier which it discovers to be routinely:
1. Engaged in unlawful practice.
2. Engaged in practice that violates basic
employee rights.
3. Discriminating against individuals or groups on
the grounds of race, gender, age, nationality,
sexual orientation or belief.
Where it appears a supplier is engaged in such
practice The Phone Co-op will seek to address the
issue with the supplier and if this fails will look to
source from an alternative supplier.
Internet
The Phone Co-op believes in free speech, that is to
say, in the right of individuals and organisations to
express their views and to publish information as
they wish, providing that the publication of such
views or information is not unlawful, and providing
that it does not infringe upon the legitimate rights of
others.
The Phone Co-op:
1. Does not regard as freedom of speech the
promotion of intolerance or prejudice on the
grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation or
belief.
2. Reserves the right to refuse services that, in its
reasonable judgement, enable individuals or
organisations to abuse freedom of speech or to
promote intolerance.
3. Will not host on its servers any material
deemed inappropriate or which may infringe
upon the rights of its members, customers or
employees.
4. Will take down any website which in its
reasonable judgement contravenes this policy.
5. Reserves the right to refuse to host any
information for distribution via the Internet,
which in its reasonable opinion would lead a
significant number of its customers to doubt its
commitment to ethical and co-operative values.
6. Accepts however, that many of its customers
wish legitimately to use the Internet to express
views and publish information which other
customers may object to, yet which do not in its
reasonable judgement compromise its
commitment to co-operative values and its
ethical policy.
Continuous Improvement
The Phone Co-op will regularly review its business
practices and respond to the views of members,
customers and employees.
It has an Ethical Policy
Committee, whose role is to appraise these views
and other relevant issues, and, if necessary, to
amend this policy and keep it up to date.
Accountability
The Board of Directors is ultimately accountable for
The Phone Co-op’s ethical policy.
The Chief Executive is responsible for the
administration and delivery of this policy.
Assurance
It is the Phone Coop’s intention to seek an external
review of this policy and its implementation.
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