Policy Statement
Merlin Industrial Products Ltd. is committed to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and the abolition of modern slavery and human trafficking.
Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It takes various forms, such as slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person's liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain. We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery, and we are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships and to implement and enforce effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our own businesses or our supply chain.
We are also committed to ensuring there is transparency in our own businesses and in our approach to tackling modern slavery throughout our supply chain. We expect the same high standards from all of our suppliers, contractors, and other business partners. As part of our contracting processes, we include specific prohibitions against the use of forced, compulsory or trafficked labour, or anyone held in slavery or servitude, and we expect that our suppliers will hold their own suppliers to the same high standards.
This policy applies to all persons working for us or on our behalf in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, officers, agency workers, agents, contractors, external consultants, third-party representatives, and business partners.
Communication
We communicate this policy to our staff, clients, and other stakeholders by means of our website, and internal communications.
We provide our staff with training on our Modern Slavery Policy and seek to raise awareness of any negative impacts of our business and methods to reduce them.
Our zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery must be communicated to all suppliers, contractors, and business partners at the outset of our business relationship with them and reinforced as appropriate thereafter.
Responsibility and Review
The Procurement Department has overall responsibility for ensuring this policy complies with our legal and ethical obligations, and that all those under our control comply with it.
The Purchasing Manager has primary and day-to-day responsibility for implementing this policy, monitoring its use and effectiveness, dealing with any queries about it, and auditing internal control systems and procedures to ensure they are effective in countering modern slavery.
Management at all levels are responsible for ensuring those reporting to them understand and comply with this policy and are given any required training.
We are committed to ensuring our policy remains effective. As part of our ongoing commitment, this policy is reviewed at least annually to ensure that it remains up to date, compliant and relevant to the needs of the organisation and its clients, and to verify its effective operation.
Any improvements identified are made as soon as possible. Internal control systems and procedures are also subject to regular review to provide assurance that they are effective in countering any risks of slavery.