Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires certain businesses to publish an annual statement confirming the steps they have taken to identify and address modern slavery risks.
The Home Office has today published its guidance regarding the reporting requirements during the Coronavirus pandemic. It emphasises the importance of:
- focusing on worker health and safety (by adopting social distancing measures and paying statutory sick pay to mitigate the risk of the virus spreading) and
- including consideration of how fluctuations in demand and changes in operating models may generate new/increased risks of labour exploitation.
Publication of modern slavery statements may be delayed by up to 6 months without penalty but businesses need to state the Coronavirus-related reason for such delay within its statement. To read more see https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-reporting-modern-slavery-for-businesses/modern-slavery-reporting-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic
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