Introduction

We believe that every human being has the right to freedom and dignity, and that no one should ever be subjected to slavery or forced labour. We stand firmly against all forms of human trafficking, forced labour, and modern slavery, and we are committed to working tirelessly to eradicate these practices from our world.

We recognize that modern slavery takes many forms, including forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and the exploitation of children. These practices are an affront to human dignity and a violation of fundamental human rights. We must do everything in our power to ensure that every person is able to live a life free from coercion and exploitation.

We call on individuals, businesses, and governments to take action to end modern slavery. This includes raising awareness of the issue, supporting organisations that work to combat human trafficking, and implementing laws and policies that prevent and punish these crimes.

We believe that through our collective efforts, we can create a world in which every person is able to live with freedom, dignity, and respect.

Modern slavery is a heinous crime and a morally reprehensible act that deprives a person’s liberty and dignity for another person’s gain. It is a real problem for millions of people around the world, including many in developed countries, who are being kept and exploited in various forms of slavery. Every company is at risk of being involved in this crime through its own operations and its supply chain.

At SMResources, we have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and are fully committed to preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operation and supply chain. We have taken concrete steps to tackle modern slavery, as outlined in our statement. This statement sets out the actions that we have taken to understand all potential modern slavery risks related to our business, and to implement steps to prevent slavery and human trafficking during the financial year 2023/2024.

Our business and supply chains

[Brief details of:

• Solidmatters Resources Ltd T/A SMResources
• We are into healthcare recruitment services.
• We operate in the United Kingdom

We establish a relationship of trust and integrity with all our suppliers, which is built upon mutually beneficial factors. Our supplier selection and on-boarding procedure includes due diligence of the supplier’s reputation, respect for the law, compliance with health, safety and environmental standards, and references.

We haven’t been made aware of any allegations of human trafficking/slavery activities against any of our suppliers, but if we were, then we would act immediately against the supplier and report it to the authorities.

Risk assessment

We conduct risk assessments to identify areas of potential risk within our supply chain and take appropriate steps to mitigate those risks.  In the past year, we conducted a risk assessment of our supply chain by taking into account:

• The risk profile of individual countries based on the Global Slavery Index
• The business services rendered by the suppliers
• The presence of vulnerable demographic groups
• A news analysis and the insights of labour and human rights groups

This assessment will determine our response and the risk controls that we implement.

Policies

We regularly review our policies and procedures to ensure that they are effective in preventing slavery and forced labour, and that they are in compliance with all relevant laws and regulations. SMResources operates the following policies for identifying and preventing slavery and human trafficking in our operations:

• Whistleblowing Policy – we encourage all employees, customers and suppliers to report any suspicion of slavery or human trafficking without fear of retaliation. We provide a confidential helpline to protect the identity of whistle-blowers.
• Code of Conduct – our code encourages employees to do the right thing by clearly stating the actions and behaviour expected of them when representing the business. We strive to maintain the highest standards of employee conduct and ethical behaviour when operating abroad and managing our supply chain.
• Purchasing Code – we have updated our Purchasing Code and supplier contracts to make explicit reference to slavery and human trafficking.

Supplier Due Diligence

We work with our suppliers to ensure that they share our commitment to preventing slavery and forced labour, and require that they implement policies and procedures to identify and address any instances of slavery or forced labour within their own supply chains. As such, we as SMResources conduct due diligence on all new suppliers during on-boarding and on existing suppliers at regular intervals. This includes:

• Assessing risks in the provision of particular services
• Auditing the suppliers, and their health and safety standards, labour relations and employee contracts
• Requiring improvements to substandard employment practices
• Sanctioning suppliers that fail to improve their performance in line with our requirements

We require all suppliers to attest that:

• They don’t use any form of forced, compulsory or slave labour
• Their employees work voluntarily and are entitled to leave work
• They provide each employee with an employment contract that contains a reasonable notice period for terminating their employment
• They don’t require employees to post a deposit/bond and don’t withhold their salaries for any reasons
• They don’t require employees to surrender their passports or work permits as a condition of employment

Awareness

SMResources has raised awareness of modern slavery issues by putting up posters across our facilities and sending email that is focused specifically on modern slavery to all our staff, which explains:

• Our commitment in the fight against modern slavery
• Red flags for potential cases of slavery or human trafficking
• How employees should report suspicions of modern slavery

Training

We provide training to our employees and suppliers to raise awareness of the risks of slavery and forced labour, and to ensure that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to identify and address any instances of these practices. In addition to the awareness programme, SMResources has rolled out a fresh e-learning course to all employees and supplier contacts, which covers:

• Various forms of modern slavery in which people can be held and exploited
• The size of the problem and the risk to our organisation
• How employees can identify the signs of slavery and human trafficking, including unrealistically low prices
• How employees should respond if they suspect slavery or human trafficking
• How suppliers can escalate potential slavery or human trafficking issues to the relevant people within their own organisation
• What external help is available for the victims of slavery
• What terms and guidance should be provided to suppliers in relation to slavery policies and controls
• What steps SMResources will take if a supplier fails to implement anti-slavery policies or controls
• An attestation from employees that they will abide by SMResources’s anti-slavery policy

Measuring how we’re performing

We encourage the reporting of any suspected instances of slavery or forced labour, and ensure that all reports are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken. We engage in partnerships and collabourations with other organisations and stakeholders to promote best practices and drive positive change in the fight against slavery and forced labour. SMResources has defined a set of key performance indicators and controls to combat modern slavery and human trafficking in our organisation and supply chain. These include:

• How many employees have completed mandatory training?
• How many suppliers have filled out our ethics questionnaire?
• How many suppliers have rolled out an awareness and training programme that is equivalent to ours?
• How many reports have been made by our employees that indicate their awareness of and sensitivity to ethical issues?
• What are the findings of our cross-functional Human Rights team, which reviews how we are addressing modern slavery and human trafficking?

Final thought

We recognize that eradicating slavery and forced labour from our business and supply chain is an ongoing process, and we are committed to continuously improving our policies and procedures to ensure that we are doing everything in our power to prevent these practices.

We believe it is important for us to have a modern anti-slavery statement that is earnest and practical in its application. Slavery and forced labour are still major issues around the world, and modern slavery can take many different forms, such as human trafficking, debt bondage, and forced labour. Having an anti-slavery statement demonstrates our commitment to ethical and responsible business practices and can help prevent exploitation and abuse in our supply chains.

Our statement is clear in its commitment to combating modern slavery. We want to promote a fair and just global economy, while also protecting the human rights of vulnerable workers.

This statement covers 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 and has been approved by the board of SMResources at the board meeting on 1 April 2023.