LONDON, 2015-11-5 — /EPR Retail News/ — The Northern Ireland Retail Consortium has welcomed the Minister for Justice David Ford’s comments and contribution to the debate on modern slavery.
Aodhán Connolly, Director of the NIRC, stated “We are not only welcoming of the stance that the Minister for Justice has made on this issue but are glad to see that he has highlighted the efforts of civil society to combat injustice.
“It was UK retailers who campaigned hard, in partnership with other stakeholders, to get the transparency clause inserted into the Modern Slavery Act and our industry has for many years worked to prevent the exploitation of workers through a number of voluntary measures. We are therefore pleased to welcome the commencement of the Transparency in Supply Chains Regulations. As an industry, we have long argued that the greater the number of businesses who are engaged in the conversation around modern slavery the better chance we all stand of tackling it effectively. We see the transparency requirements as a crucial step in enabling business to talk in a sensible way about the problem of modern slavery, the steps that can be taken to guard against it and, crucially, how to deal with it if it is uncovered in a supply chain.”
ENDS
For media enquiries please contact Aodhán Connolly, Director of the NIRC, on 07880039744 aodhan.connolly@brc.org.uk
SOURCE: BRC