How to deter, detect and deal with modern slavery in construction

Developed in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), the Stronger Together Construction and Property Programme was launched in the House of Lords in 2017 and has since produced a comprehensive range of sector-specific resources to deter, detect and deal with modern slavery in the construction and property sectors.

Stronger Together is an impact driven, not-for-profit organisation providing businesses with practical training, resources, business services and collaborative programmes to create a world where all workers are recruited responsibly and have fair work free from exploitation.

Whilst modern slavery can be a complex and dynamic crime, there are some very simple and practical steps that can be taken on sites to prevent and deal with the risks that exist today:

• raise general awareness across the site using Stronger Together’s multi-language posters, ideally placing them on the back of toilet doors to ensure that any potential victims can read the information without being observed
• using the Identifying Labour Exploitation video, developed with Migrant Help, to train all workers on site to ‘spot the signs of modern slavery’
• share the Modern Slavery Helpline app with all workers to enable quick access to advice and guidance, or to report concerns 
• Check out Section 1.8 of the Stronger Together toolkit and be prepared with a site incident response plan to ensure you respond effectively in the event of an actual or potential incident.

Aside from practical and simple site-based steps, the toolkit sets out a comprehensive action plan and checklist for contractors, suppliers and labour agencies which forms a detailed and robust strategy to tackle modern slavery. 

The effective implementation of this toolkit will enable organisations to:

• raise awareness among all levels of employees about modern slavery
• act as a reference for common signs and patterns that indicate exploitation
• provide an action plan for when labour exploitation abuses are discovered, including guidance on appropriate protection and remedy for victims should any instances of slavery or trafficking be identified
• pursue some of the necessary pragmatic steps to help develop an annual slavery and human trafficking statement required under the S54 Transparency in Supply Chains provisions of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015, and other legal requirements in national operations and global supply chains
• display positive engagement, working with employee representatives and workforces to protect them from and prevent exploitation. 

You can learn more by attending Stronger Together’s Tackling Modern Slavery in Construction and Property workshop or speak to us at [email protected] about our bespoke in-house training and consultancy support.