Preventing Modern Slavery

Hidden labour exploitation is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain. Victims are trapped in servitude, which they were deceived or coerced into, and cannot leave. Hidden labour exploitation is closer than you think.

Thomas Recruitment Group commits to developing and adopting a proactive approach to tackling hidden labour exploitation.

Hidden labour exploitation is exploitation of job applicants and workers by third party individuals or gangs other than the employer or labour provider including rogue individuals working within these businesses but without the knowledge of management.  It includes forced labour and human trafficking for labour exploitation; payment for work-finding services and work-related exploitation such as forced use of accommodation.  It is understood that it is often well hidden by the perpetrators with victims, if they perceive of themselves as such, reluctant to come forward.

Thomas Recruitment Group commits to developing and adopting a proactive approach to tackling hidden labour exploitation throughout our business.

Responsibility
The overall responsibility for ensuring that this policy is implemented, maintained, monitored and communicated to all employees rests with our Human Resources Department.

Policy Commitments
THOMAS Recruitment Group shall:

1. Designate appropriate managers to attend “Tackling Hidden Labour Exploitation” training and to have responsibility for developing and operating company procedures relevant to tackling hidden labour exploitation.
2. Accept that job finding fees are a business cost, and will not allow these to be paid by job applicants.  The Company will not use any individual or organisation to source and supply workers without confirming that workers are not being charged a work finding fee.
3. Ensure that all staff responsible for directly recruiting workers are trained to be aware of issues around third -party labour exploitation and signs to look for and have signed appropriate Compliance Principles.
4. Ensure that labour sourcing, recruitment and worker placement processes are under the control of trusted and competent staff members.
5. Adopt a proactive approach to reporting suspicions of hidden worker exploitation to the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and police.
6. Provide information on tackling “Hidden Labour Exploitation” to our workforce through (list formats e.g. in a variety of formats such as workplace posters, worker leaflets, induction, other training).
7. Encourage workers to report cases of hidden third-party labour exploitation, provide the means to do so and investigate and act on reports appropriately.
8. Positively encourage and support employees and agency workers to report such exploitation which may be occurring within their communities.
9. Require labour providers and other organisations in the labour supply chain to adopt policies and procedures consistent with the above.