Modern Slavery Statement

Modern Slavery Statement

Background

Introduced on 29th October 2015, The Modern Slavery Act requires businesses which supply goods or services in the UK, and have an annual turnover exceeding £36m, to disclose information regarding their policies and practices that are in place to eradicate slavery from their direct activities and their supply chain. Businesses that exceed this turnover threshold must produce a statement each financial year outlining such policies. Whilst slavery may not seem like a current issue, forced labour and human trafficking are still major issues in modern society with organisations treating their workforce as commodities. The ILO (International Labour Organisation) estimates that there are 21 million people in forced labour around the world. The UK government has introduced the “Transparency in Supply Chains” provision to encourage businesses with significant resources and purchasing power to influence global supply chains. The idea is not for businesses to do more because they are legally obliged to; the government wants to encourage businesses to do more because they recognise that it is morally right. They believe that this will increase competition to achieve best practice by requiring businesses to create such a statement. This will demonstrate the procedures that have already been adopted in a business and help to highlight any areas which could be improved. The government is keen for businesses to become more aware of the activities taking place within their own supply chain. They are aiming for greater transparency within the supply chain of businesses as they are fully aware that it has become more difficult and complex to keep track of events taking place outside of the organisation. Increasing an organisation’s accountability in this area will mean workers are more protected and consumers’ confidence will grow in the goods and services that they are purchasing.

SCS Policy

This policy applies to all Select Catering employees, (SCS) all subsidiaries and joint ventures where SCS has operational control and to all subcontractors, working on the sites of SCS.

In accordance with this Policy on Human Rights and Working Conditions, SCS fully supports the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and commits itself to respect all International Labour Organisation (ILO) core labour standards, as set out below.

1. Banning of child labour

SCS will apply the age of 18 as the minimum age for employment, except in the framework of internship- or vocational training programs, organised in co-operation with schools and training institutes or approved by the competent authority. Special care will be taken that these young people, with a minimum age of 15, are fully protected and have received adequate safety training and instructions.

2. Banning of forced labour

SCS will under no circumstances make use of forced or bonded labour, such as forced labour by persons placed in an institution, or compulsory labour including labour as a means of political coercion or education.

SCS recognises and respects the freedom of its employees to choose whether to establish or to associate with any employee organisation of their own choosing (including labour unions) without SCS prior authorisation.

The employment of a worker is not contingent upon the condition that he/she joins or not joins a union or be forced to relinquish trade union membership. Furthermore, union membership shall not be the cause for the dismissal of - or otherwise prejudice against - a worker. SCS will not interfere with or finance labour organisations or take other actions with the intent of placing such organisations under its control.

SCS and the respective employee organisations will co-operate constructively in a spirit of good faith. Even in cases of dispute the goal shall always be to maintain viable co-operation in the long term. This implicates, amongst others, the mutual respect of agreed commitments.

3. Equal opportunities / Non-discrimination

SCS is committed to an inclusive work culture and appreciates and recognises that all people are unique and valuable and should be respected for their individual abilities. SCS does not accept any form of harassment or discrimination based on gender, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, cultural background, social group, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, age or political opinion.

SCS shall provide equal employment opportunity and treat all employees fairly. SCS employees and business units shall only use merit, qualifications and other professional criteria as the basis for employee-related decisions in SCS, regarding for instance recruitment, training, compensation and promotion.

4. Remuneration

It is acknowledged and agreed that all employees of SCS are entitled to adequate remuneration

Remuneration and all the other benefits are based on the principle of fairness and comply with the individual national legal standards or the standards of the national branches or company collective labour agreements, whichever is higher.

5. Working time and paid holidays

SCS makes sure that the national regulations and agreements on working hours and regular paid holidays are adhered to.

6. Health and safety at work

SCS does not compromise on a safe and healthy working environment for all employees and is committed to offering safe and healthy workplaces in accordance with national legislation. It seeks continuous improvement of its occupational health and safety performance.

7. Qualification

SCS is committed to promoting measures aimed at the qualification of employees to the extent that broadening, and consolidation of professional and technical knowledge is relevant for a particular job. In this context, vocational training and employment training are of particular importance and can be seen as a shared responsibility on one hand for the employer to provide the necessary training, and on the other hand for each employee to take up the offered training.

8. Select Catering Solutions Labour and Human Resources Standards for Suppliers

SCS sets high standards regarding labour and employment and the same is expected from its suppliers. Therefore, we expect our suppliers to act in line with our labour and employment principles. Suppliers are expected to comply with all local country labour and human resource laws and regulations, including those related to wages, hours worked, working conditions and child labour. Suppliers are expected to adopt sound labour and human resource practices and treat their workers fairly, specifically: Suppliers must hire and employ workers in compliance with applicable laws. Wages, benefits, and working hours are expected to be fair and reasonable in the local labour market.

Child Labour: Suppliers must comply with the applicable local laws with regard to the minimum hiring age for employees. If no such law exists or if the existing law permits the hiring of child labour younger than 18 years of age, the supplier may not employ child labour under 16 years of age to work on SCS’ projects.

Forced Labour: SCS expects suppliers to not use labour that is a result of mental or physical coercion, physical punishment, slavery or other oppressive labour conditions. Suppliers and their employees cannot engage in any form of human trafficking.

During the period 24^th December - October 2023 to 30th November 2024, we have not been aware of any instances of modern slavery in our business or supply chains.

As part of our ongoing commitment, we will continuously review our approach to modern slavery. SCS takes the view that the challenge of combatting modern slavery and human trafficking is an ongoing one, but one we are committed to.