Modern Slavery Act

Introduction

Skipton Scaffolds is committed to preventing modern slavery in our operations and supply chains. This policy outlines our approach to combatting modern slavery, ensuring compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and promoting ethical practices in collaboration with stakeholders.

Policy Statement

Modern slavery encompasses a range of exploitative practices, including forced labour, human trafficking, and exploitation. The business has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and is committed to upholding human rights in all our business activities.

Legal Framework

This policy is informed by the following UK legislation:

  • Modern Slavery Act 2015: Requires organisations to disclose measures taken to prevent modern slavery in their supply chains.
  • Human Rights Act 1998: Protects the rights and freedoms of individuals, emphasising the importance of human dignity.
  • Employment Rights Act 1996: Ensures employees are treated fairly and have rights in the workplace.

Our Commitment

We commit to:

  • Conducting risk assessments to identify and mitigate modern slavery risks in our operations and supply chains.
  • Ensuring transparency in our supply chains by requiring suppliers to adhere to ethical standards.
  • Collaborating with stakeholders, including NGOs, industry groups, and government bodies, to share best practices and improve our efforts against modern slavery.
  • Providing training for staff and suppliers on recognising and reporting modern slavery.

Supply Chain Due Diligence

We will:

  • Implement robust due diligence processes for selecting suppliers and partners, including assessing their commitment to preventing modern slavery.
  • Include anti-slavery clauses in contracts and agreements with suppliers.
  • Regularly review and monitor supplier compliance with our modern slavery standards.

Reporting Mechanisms

We encourage all employees and stakeholders to report any suspicions of modern slavery. Reports can be made through:

Internal Reporting Channels

  • Line Manager: Employees can report concerns directly to their immediate manager.
  • HR: Concerns can be raised with the HR team via email or in-person meetings.

All reports will be treated confidentially, and individuals reporting in good faith will be protected from retaliation.

Training and Awareness

We will provide training and resources to our employees and suppliers to raise awareness of modern slavery and promote compliance with this policy. Training will cover:

  • The definition and signs of modern slavery.
  • How to report suspected incidents.
  • Our organisation’s policies and procedures related to modern slavery.

Monitoring and Review

This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure its effectiveness and compliance with legislation. We will evaluate the impact of our practices and adapt as necessary to improve our response to modern slavery.

Relevant Related Company Policies

We operate the following policies that describe our approach to the identification of modern slavery risks and steps to be taken to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations; 

  • Anti-Bullying & Anti-Harassment policy Both the Anti-Bullying and Anti-Harassment Policy and the Modern Slavery Policy work together to create an ethical, respectful, and legally compliant workplace. They reinforce the organisation’s commitment to protecting individuals from abuse—whether through direct exploitation or interpersonal mistreatment, while fostering a culture of integrity, fairness, and responsibility at all levels.
  • Whistleblowing Policy We encourage all our workers, customers and other business partners to report any concerns related to the direct activities, or the supply chains of, our organisation. This includes any circumstances that may give rise to an enhanced risk of slavery or human trafficking. Our whistleblowing procedure is designed to make it easy for workers to make disclosures, without fear of retaliation. 
  • Employee Code of Conduct Our code makes clear to employees the actions and behaviour expected of them when representing our organisation. We strive to maintain the highest standards of employee conduct and ethical behaviour when operating abroad and managing its supply chain.
  • Supplier Code of Conduct We are committed to ensuring that its suppliers adhere to the highest standards of ethics. Suppliers are required to demonstrate that they provide safe working conditions where necessary, treat workers with dignity and respect, and act ethically and within the law in their use of labour. We work with suppliers to ensure that they meet the standards of the code and improve their worker’s working conditions. However, serious violations of our supplier code of conduct will lead to the termination of the business relationship. 
  • Recruitment/Agency Workers Policy We use only specified, reputable employment agencies to source labour and always verifies the practices of any new agency it is using before accepting workers from that agency. 
  • Any other policies relevant to our business or sector We may have other relevant policies to which they can refer, for example a corporate social responsibility policy, which should be accompanied by the steps taken to implement the policy and any examples where it has been used to address slavery and human trafficking risks.

Responsibility

All employees are responsible for adhering to this policy and supporting our commitment to combat modern slavery. Senior management will oversee the implementation and monitoring of this policy.