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A report on modern slavery reporting standards in the tech sector from techUK makes recommendations for both businesses and Government to help improve the quality of reporting.
The 2015 Modern Slavery Act is one of the world’s first national laws for combatting modern slavery.
The tech sector is taking a lead in tackling modern slavery.
Section 54 of the act introduced a new requirement that all UK firms turning over £36m publish a Modern Slavery Statement.
TechUK said it found there was a high level of compliance, but major variances in the quality and detail of reports.
Several recommendations to improve the quality of reporting across the sector are made in the report, including:
• Metrics to illustrate progress and compliance.
• Examples and case studies of non-compliance and how these were resolved.
• Details of corporate governance structures and reporting methods, even if the company believes it is at a low risk.
• Details of whistleblowing mechanisms and how they have been used.
• Responsibilities that have been assigned to staff, directors and board members.
Further recommendations are also made to Government to improve the reporting process, such as:
•Work with industry to set a reporting framework with sector specific-advice.
•Use insights from the UK’s global network of embassies to help companies identify credible NGOs to work with in-region.
•Create an FAQ on questions received from businesses in respect to MSA reporting.
•Engage with foreign governments and international fora (Commonwealth or G20) developing their own MSA type rules to align and seek equivalence in reporting requirements.
Julian David
Julian David, techUK CEO, writes:
“The tech sector takes its role in combatting modern slavery very seriously and is keen to work with Government and other third-party organisations to do so. This is, however, a new area of reporting with little guidance on what “good” looks like.”
According to David, this report is a first step “so that the sector can efficiently identify and enact positive change to stamp out any wrongdoing both within their business and across their supply chain.”
