As many will know, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 imposes a number of statutory requirements on UK businesses with a turnover in excess of £36m per annum.

You could be forgiven for thinking that this means that the legislation will not impact on smaller businesses, but it could well prove to be a costly mistake to ignore what the Act is saying just because your business turnover falls below the statutory minimum.

The main responsibility imposed on relevant businesses by Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act is the requirement to publish a modern slavery statement annually. Amongst the things the statement needs to set out are the steps taken by the company to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking is not taking place either within the business or their supply chain.

Leaving aside the moral responsibility we all surely share to try and eradicate modern slavery in all of its guises wherever it occurs, consider the potential impact of sub-contracting from a large company that seeks to ensure you and your supply chain are free from modern slavery issues before giving the work to you. Is your company in a position to evidence a lack of modern slavery and can you show that your employees and staff know what to look for, and what to do if they come across it?

This two minute video gives an excellent overview of how much detail you need to go to when considering modern slavery. Although focussed on construction, the lessons are the same for almost any business. Whilst another 2 minute video gives some facts and figures related to modern slavery.

We have put together a one day Modern Slavery Awareness course that covers the key issues regarding modern slavery. We can also assist with creating policies to help ensure your business and supply chain are as slavery free as possible.

Please get in touch at info@zakon.co.uk for more information or to book us to come to you.