Do You Know If There Are Slaves in Your Construction Supply Chain?

THAT IS the question The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) is posing to the industry.

CIPS, the global professional body is surveying members, companies and its procurement community in the construction sector to understand the extent of the problem and what the sector may, or may not be doing to ensure it is not complicit in the crime of slavery.

The UK’s Modern Slavery Act came into force in 2015 requiring businesses with a turnover of £36million and over to publish a statement saying what they are doing to eradicate slavery from their supply chains.

And yet slavery still exists.

The construction sector, along with many other sectors, is struggling to ensure their supply chains are completely free from slave labour, according to CIPS and the level of awareness amongst suppliers, clients and businesses still needs improvement, CIPS says.

The organisation has been working with a number of agencies, including Walk Free, to raise levels of understanding and offer practical support on what businesses should be doing, to find slavery in their supply chains and ultimately eradicate it.

Slavery robs individuals of their liberty, their health and their future and risks the reputation and profits of businesses.

CIPS survey results will help to create practical guidance and sources of information to help the sector and others, to make any necessary changes.

CIPS is asking that construction businesses complete and share its survey amongst their networks. The results will be ready by mid-February if the required number of respondents complete the survey and they should offer an interesting snapshot of the state of construction supply chains which respondents will receive.