Sainsbury’s has teamed up with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) to offer training to its suppliers that will allow them to identify exploitive behaviour.
The training, which is described as the first-of-its-kind, pilots this week with GLA offices delivering a course that has been developed to meet the specific requirements of Sainsbury’s suppliers.
It focuses on identifying hidden exploitative practices at farms, packhouses, processing plants and factories throughout the retailer’s global supply chain.
“We are delighted to have forged this industry-leading agreement and to work alongside Sainsbury’s in this way,” said GLA chief executive, Paul Broadbent.
“There is a real commitment and desire on both sides to identify any practice that subjects workers to exploitation.
“Such activity, by its very nature, is kept hidden by its perpetrators as far as possible and is difficult to detect but there are indicators to look out for and these are what we will be teaching Sainsbury’s product suppliers to spot.”
Broadbent said that by raising awareness through training, Sainsbury’s is showing a determination to identify any issues.
The new arrangement builds upon the GLA’s supplier/retail protocol that was launched in October 2013 by home secretary Theresa May.
Judith Batchelar, director of Sainsbury’s brand, said: “We’re proud to have carried out the first pilot training for our suppliers in partnership with GLA, we hope this takes us a step further in tackling hidden labour exploitation.
“Modern slavery within global supply chains is a serious issue and it is a priority of ours to work with our suppliers to address it.”
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