Cordant Hotline will Support Crackdown on Modern Slavery

The hotline will form a key element of the group’s Anti-Modern Slavery Policy, and will allow employees to raise concerns confidentially, without fear of repercussion, about colleagues or suppliers. It will be promoted during inductions, on wage slips, in worker handbooks and on notice boards around sites nationwide.

Specially trained telephone operators will categorise each call and, depending upon the potential severity, will escalate it to appropriate level of management, or to the group’s Human Resources, Legal or Compliance Teams where appropriate, to investigate and respond. The Cordant Group Compliance Team monitor all responses and report to the Senior Leadership Team on a weekly basis.

In addition, following the lead taken by PMP Recruitment, the flexible workforce solutions specialist arm of Cordant Group that employs over 50,000, other Cordant Group brands have committed to joining the Stronger Together campaign as a business partner, which requires organisations to upload evidence to publicly demonstrate their commitment to tackling hidden labour exploitation.  This will include a requirement for all management and frontline recruitment staff to complete mandatory Anti-Modern Slavery and whistleblowing training modules.

PMP is also working in partnership with victim support organisations to help find employment opportunities for the survivors of modern slavery to support their rehabilitation, and actively fundraises for Unseen, a charity whose vision is to work towards a world without slavery.

Chris Kenneally, CEO at Cordant Group, said: “Conservative estimates suggest there are currently between 10,000 and 13,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK and both the Government and businesses have acknowledged this is a growing problem.

“We want to ensure that Cordant Group is leading the way in the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking by raising awareness and taking necessary action. We are working with the relevant organisations and doing everything we possibly can to send the strongest messages to the criminals involved. On the flip side we are also looking at ways to support the victims both through fundraising and employment opportunities.”