DATYM is committed to the prevention of forced labour, human trafficking, bonded labour, and related forms of modern slavery.
“Modern Slavery” is defined as the deprivation of one person by another of their liberty in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.
“Forced Labour” is defined as forcing someone into work or service against their will and not allowing them to leave without penalty or there is a threat of penalty e.g. physical punishment or constraint, loss of rights or privileges, retention of identity documents or threats of denunciation to immigration authorities.
“Human Trafficking” is defined as the act of recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a person by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to
achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation.
“Bonded Labour” (also known as debt-induced labour and debt bondage) is defined as the taking of a loan or an advance of wages by a worker from an employer or labour recruiter in return for which the worker pledges his or her labour and sometimes that of family members to pay back the loan. Debts may be passed onto
the next generation.
DATYM strictly forbids any employee, consultant, agency worker, agent or any other person connected with its business from participating in slavery and only works with companies who operate ethically and comply with social and human rights criteria.
DATYM encourages employees to raise through its “raising a concern” procedure any suspicion of or instance of forced labour with the person responsible for anti-slavery measures in the workplace. An employee should not advise their immediate manager until they have spoken to the person identified with responsibility for anti-slavery.
Committing an offence under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 is a serious matter. The infringement of human rights is defined as “Gross Misconduct” under DATYM'S disciplinary policy. In addition, criminal proceedings/charges are likely to be issued.
This Policy has been prepared to provide guidance to all employees and other persons who may act for DATYM such as agents, consultants and temporary workers and companies within DATYM'S supply chain on the practical arrangements introduced by DATYM to ensure compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 that was made effective from 29th October 2015.
This Policy aims to raise awareness among all employees and other persons working on behalf of or with DATYM of the risk of modern slavery at work and to provide information on what steps the organisation has put in place to reduce the risk of slavery occurring either in the workplace or the supply chain. It also aims to communicate DATYM'S policy on anti-slavery and give practical advice on what should be done where an employee (or other relevant person) is either exposed to slavery, or suspects slavery is occurring in the workplace or in the supply chain.
DATYM is committed to the prevention of forced labour, human trafficking, and related forms of modern slavery. DATYM strictly forbids any employee, consultant, agency worker, agent or any other person connected with its business from participating in slavery and only works with companies who operate ethically and comply with social and human rights criteria.
DATYM positively encourages employees, agency workers, agents, consultants, and any other person working on behalf of or with DATYM to immediately report any instance where they are either exposed to slavery, or suspect slavery is occurring in the workplace or in the supply chain.
DATYM'S Code of Conduct and specific guidance on due diligence processes which apply to employees, suppliers, sub-contractors, and other business partners is given below.
DATYM is committed to legal compliance, ethical standards and fundamental human rights as described in the ILO’s international law on forced labour such as the Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (C105)
and Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (C182) and is committed to supporting any person representing DATYM, to avoid slavery.
The CEO has specific responsibility for anti-slavery responsibilities and procedures is. DATYM is committed to putting in place appropriate measures where there is a risk of slavery in the workplace or the supply chain and to the monitoring/reviewing of the effectiveness of such measures on a regular basis.
Any employee found to be committing an offence under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 will be subject to disciplinary proceedings. DATYM has defined the infringement of human rights as “Gross Misconduct”, which if found against an employee would result in dismissal for a first offence. In addition, an employee is likely to also face criminal proceedings/charges.
Non-employed individuals or organisations found to engage in forced labour, trafficking or slavery will be removed from the list of approved suppliers immediately and may also face criminal proceedings/charges.
DATYM will not hesitate to make the appropriate external authorities aware of any suspected human rights abuse which may arise from one or more of the following five offences under the Modern Slavery Act.
Under the “corporate” offence, an organisation can be prosecuted if it is unable to show it had “adequate procedures” in place to minimise the risk of slavery occurring. Liability under the “corporate offence” can therefore be triggered where not only an employee is involved in an act of slavery, but also any other “person associated with the organisation”.
This will for example, include, consultants, agents, agency workers and subsidiaries. The implication is that it widens significantly the scope for an employer to be prosecuted for the actions of its employees and business partners, unless of course it can show it has adequate procedures/measures in place to prevent slavery. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) provide a clear framework that is endorsed by
the UN Human Rights Council and are widely accepted by the business community, trade unions, civil society and governments around the world.
1. Protect
States have a duty to protect, promote and support human rights
2. Respect
Companies have a responsibility to respect human rights and “do no hard”.
3. Remedy
Both must ensure that victims of business-related abuses have access to effective remedy.
DATYM is drawing on the UN Guiding Principles approach and taking six steps to tackle forced labour, human trafficking and modern slavery in the Company’s workplace or in our supply chains:
1. Commit
2. Assess
3. Act
4. Remedy
Provide a solution for victims of slavery and human trafficking through remedial measures which include:
5. Monitor
6. Communicate
Communicate openly to stakeholders about progress made and the challenges faced.
For many organisations, these measures should be enough to minimise the risk of and tackle modern slavery as businesses may be regarded as responsible in whole or in part for modern slavery in their supply chain, regardless of their size, location or type of business.
Where an organisation, following a risk assessment process has identified “no risk”, no additional action is required although the employee handbook will provide relevant information on slavery in the workplace to increase awareness among staff.
Where an organisation has identified a “low” risk, the following action(s) will be put in place, in addition to any specific actions identified through the risk assessment questionnaire.
Where an organisation has identified a “medium” risk, the following additional action(s) will be put in place, in addition to any specific actions identified through the risk assessment questionnaire.
In line with good business practice, the following measures should be adopted by all organisations, irrespective of risk level.
The HR function will continue to undertake employment checks, including references, proof of identity and any other pre-employment checks considered necessary for new employees.
Managers responsible for hiring agents, consultants and other business partners should ensure that appropriate checks are undertaken in line with good business practice.
Specific advice should be sought from the person nominated with responsibility for anti-corruption where business partners are engaged in a market identified as high risk.
Third party labour exploitation
Hidden third party labour exploitation occurs within all types of business, including decent and responsible organisations. Some recruitment, labour supply or supervisory models permit such exploitation to flourish:
In work exploitation
Operating without the explicit knowledge of their managers, a rogue employer supervisor, worker or labour provider consultant may be working alone or colluding with others in association with an external gang to exploit workers for personal gain:
Accommodation based exploitation
Organised criminal gangs and exploiters
Organised criminal gangs and exploitative individual’s business model is based on:
There are no set number of signs that will indicate that a person is a victim of trafficking or subject to forced labour. Some may be more prevalent than others and each case should be considered on an individual basis. The following are indicators of exploitation and should be considered within the context of the other evidence.
Physical Appearance
Exploited applicants and workers may show signs of physical or psychological abuse and/or appear:
Few or no personal effects
Exploited workers may have:
Isolation and control
Exploited workers are rarely left to be on their own and may seem under the control and influence of others:
Reluctant to seek help
Exploited workers may be reluctant to seek help and may:
If you suspect forced labour, you should immediately advise the person responsible for anti-slavery measures in the workplace under the Company’s “Raising a Concern” procedure, contained in the employee handbook. You should not advise your immediate manager until you have spoken to the person identified with responsibility for anti-slavery.
If you suspect another employee, agent, consultant, or other business partner of the organisation is exploiting a worker or workers, you should immediately notify the person identified as having responsibility for anti-slavery measures. You should not advise your immediate manager until you have spoken to the person identified with responsibility for anti-slavery.
A copy of the Government’s guidance on the Transparency in Supply Chains can be downloaded from here
The UK Government also provides a 24-hour modern slavery helpline that victims, employers and members of the public who may encounter modern slavery can call for expert support and advice:
Telephone: 0800 0121 700