Last month the UK Warehousing Association was proud to partner with not-for-profit organisation Stronger Together to support Anti-Slavery Day, which is held on October 18th every year. The aim is to raise awareness of modern slavery and to encourage businesses to take action to combat this inhumane crime.
To mark the day, we launched the UKWA Modern Slavery Policy for our members, supported by recommendations for training, such as workshops on how to recognise and respond to signs of this criminal practice in your business.
Unfortunately, our sector is a particular target for criminal gangs. Detected cases within the UK warehousing sector are escalating, with many businesses unaware that this exploitation may be taking place within their operations and supply chains. Similarly, many are unaware of their responsibilities and the risks their business and workforce might face.
There are several reasons why warehousing is considered to be one of the highest risk sectors for forced labour and other serious forms of labour exploitation. Factors that contribute to the level of risk include the length and complexity of supply chains, the intense seasonal peaks we experience, combined with labour shortages and the consequently high proportion of agency and temporary workers sometimes employed.
The warehousing and logistics industry involves businesses in working with many third parties, which further increases risk. Usually, it’s not the warehouse operators that are responsible for cases of forced labour though, but rogue infiltrators that manage to penetrate their operations and maintain control over certain workers. Therefore, it’s important to know the warning signs, and undertake regular risk assessments both within the business and with suppliers, so controls can be put in place.
The issue of modern slavery revolves around the workforce. It’s the responsibility of a business to know where its workers come from and to perform all the appropriate identification checks. Those who don’t, increase the risk of having exploited workers in their operations.
Having a Modern Slavery Policy in place in today’s business environment is an important aspect of ESG, which in turn enhances brand reputation and helps attract employees. However, simply having a policy to tick an ESG box is not enough. It must be backed by a strong framework of clear procedures for identifying, reporting and dealing with potential cases of exploitation.
The risk of modern slavery in any organisation ultimately damages the livelihood of individuals and the reputation of the business. At UKWA, part of our mission is to help and support our members in operating ethically, sustainably and profitably. Our commitment to combating modern slavery in our sector, and helping our members to do the same, is an important part of delivering on that principle.
Clare Bottle
UKWA, CEO
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