Forced Labour Why it is an issue for Employers and Business

REPRESENTING EMPLOYER ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD Forced Labour: Why it is an issue for Employers and Business By Brent Wilton Deputy Secretary-General ION INTERNATIONALE DES EMPLOYEURS — INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF EMPLOYERS — ORGANIZACIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE EMP REPRESENTING EMPLOYER ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD • Forced labour – an issue in the ILO since 1930 • Eradication of forced labour – a principle in the 1998 Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work • Less emphasis/immediacy compared to other principles • Despite ILO activity on forced labour in Myanmar, little employer engagement ION INTERNATIONALE DES EMPLOYEURS — INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF EMPLOYERS — ORGANIZACIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE EMP REPRESENTING EMPLOYER ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD • Situation is changing • Risk assessments now encompassing forced labour – supply chain • Greater NGO attention – often via trafficking/slavery • Increasing awareness of consumers and buyers • Increasing pressure to respect fundamental/human rights ION INTERNATIONALE DES EMPLOYEURS — INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF EMPLOYERS — ORGANIZACIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE EMP REPRESENTING EMPLOYER ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD • Issue for buyers from the region  Suppliers can fall into grey/informal economy  Where trafficked people enter the labour market within the supply chain • For employers at national level, forced labour impacts on:  Their own supply chains  Human resource policies – hiring  Labour practices (with holding ID/bonds)  Remediation ION INTERNATIONALE DES EMPLOYEURS — INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF EMPLOYERS — ORGANIZACIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE EMP REPRESENTING EMPLOYER ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD • For employers’ organizations  Promotion of respect of fundamental/human rights  Sensitization of employers  Assessing national risk  Repository of knowledge and information  Training (local law, identification) ION INTERNATIONALE DES EMPLOYEURS — INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION OF EMPLOYERS — ORGANIZACIÓN INTERNACIONAL DE EMP