Modern Slavery in the Construction Industry

It is estimated that there are in the region of 501 million people globally that are victims of modern slavery. The Global Slavery Index estimates that there are around 122,000 people living in modern slavery in the UK today – a rate of 1.8 victims for every thousand people in our country. Anti-Slavery International defines modern slavery as when an individual is exploited by others, for personal or commercial gain. Whether tricked, coerced, or forced, they lose their freedom.

In 2015, the UK Government introduced the Modern Slavery Act, which consolidated legislation in this area, focusing on the prevention and prosecution of modern slavery and the protection of victims. It also brought greater transparency to supply chains by requiring all UK businesses with a turnover over £36 million to disclose and publish an annual modern slavery statement that explains what they are doing to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking in their business and supply chain. Willmott Dixon’s statement is available here.

Modern slavery and labour abuse in the construction industry are on the rise. With fragmented supply chains, opaque procurement processes and a labour supply shortage, the sector faces a unique set of challenges. In 2021, construction accounted for more than 20 percent of incidences of labour exploitation reported to Unseen’s Modern Slavery Helpline. It is vital that the construction industry takes action to tackle modern slavery and provide support to those at greatest risk.

1 The Global Slavery Index 2023.

Our Approach

Our aim is to leave a positive legacy in the communities we work in, and we expect everyone who conducts business on our behalf to act ethically and with integrity.

We take our responsibility for tackling modern slavery and improving the construction sector’s reputation seriously. Our proactive approach to modern slavery means we have systems and controls in place to ensure people are not exploited anywhere in our own business or in any of our supply chains. We stipulate that all our supply chain partners must comply with the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act and our Modern Slavery Policy.

In 2016, Willmott Dixon established a Modern Slavery Working Group to focus on the risks presented by modern slavery to our business and supply chain. Since its establishment, our Working Group has been instrumental in developing and implementing processes and procedures to manage the risk of modern slavery and forced labour practices within our supply chain and it continues to progress further initiatives.

Industry Collaboration

We acknowledge that collaboration is essential to tackling modern slavery – it’s not something one person, nor one organisation can solve alone.

Willmott Dixon has joined six other leading contractors to form part of the public sector authority SCAPE’s Modern Slavery Partnership; a long-term collaborative working group to address how modern slavery is identified, dealt with, and ultimately prevented. Willmott Dixon is also an active member of the Supply Chain Sustainability School Modern Slavery Working Group.

In 2017, Willmott Dixon was one of the founding sponsors of a joint CIOB and Stronger Together multi-stakeholder initiative to reduce modern slavery, particularly hidden forced labour, labour trafficking and other hidden third-party exploitation of workers within our supply chain. We continued to work with Stronger Together to develop a specialist, in-depth industry initiative to support businesses across the supply chain. We have since established a streamlined implementation team and continue to use the lessons learned from Stronger Together to drive and develop our approach in-house.

Below is a powerful short film based on a true story that highlights the importance of site managers and others in the industry knowing how to spot and respond appropriately to potential incidents and victims of modern slavery.

Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority – Construction Protocol

Willmott Dixon has signed up to the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) Construction Protocol, a joint agreement between construction companies and the UK Government aimed at establishing collaboration within the industry. The Protocol commits signatories to work in partnership to protect vulnerable workers, share information to help stop or prevent exploitation and commit to raising awareness within the supply chain.