Cllrs Danny Thorpe, David Gardner and Averil Lekau, and Clive Efford MP at the signing of the charter

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has pledged to extend its support for victims of modern slavery and human trafficking. We have also updated our own modern slavery and human trafficking statement.

The Council has signed the Charter Against Modern Slavery, ensuring that it does not buy services or products from businesses which are exploiting people. As part of the Council’s procurement processes, providers in its supply chain will have to comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and agree to disclose the steps they have taken to ensure that they don’t contribute to the abuse, exploitation and inhuman treatment of vulnerable people. This should also cascade down to those the suppliers, in turn, work with.

Modern slavery covers a range of types of exploitation, such as sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labour or criminal coercion. The Council has a zero tolerance approach to modern slavery and will take action against any supplier which fails to act, including terminating contracts.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Danny Thorpe said: “Modern slavery is an abomination. We must be on our guard at all times that Council money does not end up in the hands of the individuals responsible for these horrific crimes. Royal Greenwich will do everything in its power to bring an end to all exploitation and we are proud to sign our name to this pledge.”

Cllr Danny Thorpe signs the Modern Slavery Charter

Claire McCarthy, General Secretary of the Co-operative Party which is behind the Charter said: “Councils can use the power of their procurement spend to challenge businesses they work with to do everything that they can to eliminate modern day slavery in their supply chains, both here and abroad. By signing the Charter, the Royal Borough of Greenwich is not just setting new standards for ethics and transparency in its own supply chain, it is sending out a powerful message that the perpetrators of these appalling crimes have nowhere to hide.”

The Royal Borough of Greenwich, a London Living Wage employer, has updated its own internal processes and will train staff to identify any illegal activity, with ‘whistle-blowers’ able to report concerns if they suspect these practices are taking place.