Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

Introduction

Modern Slavery / Anti-Slavery

1. What is slavery?

1.1 The Modern Slavery Act (MSA) 2015 covers four activities:

• Slavery

  • Exercising powers of ownership over a person.

• Servitude

  • The obligation to provide services is imposed by the use of coercion.

• Forced or compulsory labour

  • Work or services are exacted from a person under the menace of any penalty and for which the person has not offered themselves voluntarily.

• Human trafficking

  • Arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to their exploitation.

1.2 This policy covers all four activities.

2. How is it relevant to us?

2.1 Modern slavery is a complex and multi-faceted crime and tackling it requires all of us to play a part. At first glance, you may think this subject is irrelevant to us, but it is not.

2.2 Preventing exploitation and human trafficking, and protecting our workforce and reputation, makes good business sense.

2.3 The MSA 2015 recognises the important part businesses can and should play in tackling slavery and encourages them to do more.

2.4 With this in mind, we need to pay particularly close attention to:

• Our supply chain.

• Any outsourced activities, particularly to countries that may not have adequate safeguards.

• Cleaning and catering suppliers.

• Corporate hospitality.

3. Responsibilities

3.1 The company, our managers, and colleagues have responsibilities to ensure our fellow workers in all aspects of our business are safeguarded, treated fairly, and with dignity.

3.2 Everyone must observe this policy and be aware that turning a blind eye is unacceptable and simply not an option.

3.3 John Banks Group – The Company

We will:

• Maintain clear policies and procedures preventing exploitation and human trafficking and protecting our workforce and reputation.

• Be clear about our recruitment policy (see Recruitment).

• Check our supply chains.

• Lead by example by making appropriate checks on all employees, recruitment agencies, suppliers, etc., to ensure we know who is working for us.

• Ensure we have in place an open and transparent grievance process for all staff.

• Seek to raise awareness so that our colleagues know what we are doing to promote their welfare.

3.4 John Banks Group – Managers

Managers will:

• Listen and be approachable to colleagues.

• Respond appropriately if they are told something that might indicate a colleague is in an exploitative situation.

• Remain alert to indicators of slavery (see Identifying slavery).

4. The risks

4.1 The principal areas of risk we face related to slavery and human trafficking include:

• Our supply chains.

• Recruitment through agencies.

• General recruitment.

4.2 We manage these risk areas through our procedures set out in this policy and elsewhere.

5. Our procedures

5.1 Supply chains

• We thoroughly check supply chains to ensure the potential for slavery and human trafficking is significantly reduced.

• We tell the companies we do business with that we are not prepared to accept any form of exploitation.

• We try to check that all our supplier contracts contain an anti-slavery clause. This clause, which flows down through all layers of our supply chain, prohibits suppliers and their employees from engaging in slavery or human trafficking.

• We ensure we can account for each step of our supply processes—we know who is providing goods and services to us and we have mechanisms and processes in place to check.

5.2 Recruitment

5.2.1 Using agencies:

• Our recruitment team follows firm policy and only uses agreed specified reputable recruitment agencies.

• We thoroughly check recruitment agencies before adding them to our list of approved agencies. This includes:

  • Carrying out background checks.

  • Investigating reputation.

  • Ensuring the staff it provides have the appropriate paperwork (e.g., work visas).

  • Ensuring the agency provides assurances that the appropriate checks have been made on the person they are supplying.

• We keep agents on the list under regular review, at least every three years.

5.2.2 General recruitment:

• We always ensure all staff have a written contract of employment and that they have not had to pay any direct or indirect fees to obtain work.

• We always ensure staff are legally able to work in the UK.

• We check the names and addresses of our staff (a number of people listing the same address may indicate high shared occupancy, often a factor for those being exploited).

• We provide information to all new recruits on their statutory rights including sick pay, holiday pay, and any other benefits they may be entitled to.

5.3 If, through our recruitment process, we suspect someone is being exploited, the recruitment team will follow our reporting procedures (see Reporting slavery).

6. Identifying slavery

6.1 There is no typical victim and some victims do not understand they have been exploited and are entitled to help and support.

6.2 Key signs could include:

• The person is not in possession of their own passport, identification, or travel documents.

• The person is acting as though they are being instructed or coached by someone else.

• They allow others to speak for them when spoken to directly.

• They are dropped off and collected from work.

• The person is withdrawn or they appear frightened.

• The person does not seem to be able to contact friends or family freely.

• The person has limited social interaction or contact with people outside their immediate environment.

6.3 This list is not exhaustive.

6.4 Remember, a person may display a few of the trafficking indicators set out above, but they may not necessarily be a victim of slavery or trafficking. Often you will build up a picture of the person’s circumstances which may indicate something is not right.

6.5 If you have a suspicion, report it.

7. Reporting slavery

7.1 Talking to someone about your concerns may stop someone else from being exploited or abused.

7.2 If you think that someone is in immediate danger, dial 999.

7.3 Otherwise, you should discuss your concerns with your line manager or another senior manager/HR who will decide a course of action and provide any further advice.

7.4 Not all victims may want to be helped and there may be instances where reporting a suspected trafficking case puts the potential victim at risk, so it is important that in the absence of an immediate danger, you discuss your concerns first with your line manager or another senior manager/HR before taking any further action.

8. Training

8.1 We provide specialist training to those staff members who are involved in managing recruitment and our supply chains.

8.2 More general awareness training is provided to all staff through regular updates and workshops.

9. Monitoring our procedures

9.1 We will review our Anti-slavery policy regularly, at least annually. We will provide information and/or training on any changes we make.

This Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement has been approved and authorised by:

Signature:

Name: Melanie Banks-Browne

Position: Chief Executive

Date: December 2024

Reviewed: May 2025