How to tackle modern slavery

The news follows the conviction of an extended Lincolnshire family for running a modern slavery ring which kept one of its captives in "truly shocking" conditions for decades.

The University of Brighton’s Green Growth Platform has partnered with the Chichester Chamber of Commerce and Industry, law firm CLT Envirolaw and events provider Muon Events to launch a training workshop for businesses across Sussex to understand their obligations under the Modern Slavery Act.

The Green Growth Platform’s Director, Zoe Osmond, said: “Modern slaves in the UK are often said to be hidden in plain sight. Although no respectable business would choose to be associated with human rights abuses and exploitation, sectors with fragmented supply chains, covering raw material production, manufacturing and site labour, alongside opaque procurement processes and high demand for migrant labour, are especially vulnerable.

“The Modern Slavery Act introduced in March 2015 affects all businesses, requiring them to keep a careful eye on their own employment practices, as well as third parties with whom they have a business relationship. The Act requires every business trading in the UK with over £36m turnover to publish an annual slavery and human trafficking statement on their website showing the steps they have taken to increase transparency within their supply chain.

“In the event of any allegations or litigation against a company’s working practices, this statement would form the basis of a legal defence and serves to mitigate damage to a company’s reputation. Penalties for non-compliance are severe. The Act also affects smaller companies, who are having to address their supply chains in response to buyers requesting visibility of supply chain risk.”

The half day training session in Chichester on 6 September 2017 will cover:

How to identify business impact of the Modern Slavery Act for organisations and their supply chains

• Key legal compliance and best practice requirements of the Modern Slavery Act
• Responding to buyer requests for disclosure on the Modern Slavery Act
• Drafting a Modern Slavery Act statement
• Contractual terms and codes of conduct to eliminate slavery from supply chains

Ms Osmond said: “This training is relevant across all business sectors. Within Sussex, this might be relevant to some agricultural companies, construction contractors or the hospitality sector. It will benefit companies wishing to maintain the reputation of their company, and those responsible for delivering training in relation to the recruitment and placement of workers, including; CEOs, directors, compliance managers, contract managers, technical and field managers, labour co-ordinators, recruitment managers, ethical auditors, HR managers and training managers.”

The Green Growth Platform supports growth and innovation of green-focussed companies across Sussex. The Platform has 800 members and many receive business support, grants and finance advice, innovation and skills development, events and connections from a team of industry experts, business advisors and academic specialists from University of Brighton.

Businesses and organisation offering green or low carbon products or services, or companies from any sector wishing to reduce their environmental impact are invited to join.

This event has taken place but you can contact the Green Growth Platform for more information and future events. Please email greengrowthplatform@brighton.ac.uk.