New Rules On Modern Slavery

The UK has been leading the way in the battle to combat modern slavery in Europe. New rules have been in force since October 2015, which require businesses to report what they are doing to tackle slavery and human trafficking. The rules are based on Californian legislation that has been in place for several years (the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act).

The rules apply to commercial organisations (companies or partnerships) that "supply goods or services" and that have a turnover of more than £36 million. They apply to all businesses that carry on any part of their business in the UK so foreign companies may be caught, as well as UK-incorporated entities.

In addition, although the rules only apply directly to entities with turnovers of more than £36 million, the effects will be much wider than this. The requirement to report on slavery in an organisation's supply chain means many smaller companies will be asked by their customers to provide information