UK construction contractors are being urged to stay vigilant against the exploitation of both British and foreign workers within the sector.

The call comes following the publication of a new report by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), 'Construction and the Modern Slavery Act', which states analysis by the National Crime Agency (NCA) had identified construction as one of the most common sectors for labour exploitation in the UK.

A number of key areas are highlighted within the report, including;

• How industry is conflating immigration checks with modern slavery checks. This is ineffective because many people trapped in modern slavery have a legitimate right to work in the UK

• Severe weaknesses in commercial auditing models, with auditors disincentivised to report problems to the police

• Poor transparency in supply chain reporting standards, with many eligible companies failing to produce a modern slavery report in the first annual reporting cycle. A significant number of published statements do not follow minimum legal requirements, including being visible on the company homepage and being signed off by a board director

• A tendency for companies to water down their modern slavery statements to remove mention of risk, against the spirit of the Modern Slavery Act

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• Examples of sharp practice, with major players defaulting to legal compliance exercises that push responsibility onto their less well-resourced suppliers. This is also against the spirit of the legislation

The report states: "There is little doubt that UK construction supply chains are at risk of being infiltrated by criminal activities such as modern slavery. is is in line with many other sectors, including agriculture, food processing, manufacturing and hospitality. Changing the narrative to acceptance, rather than denial of risks, will open up conversations and create opportunities for innovation.

"But companies cannot tackle these systemic challenges alone. Knowledge sharing and collaboration will be essential for developing tools and best practice. And no initiative will be sustainable without the genuine commitment of senior management.

"Adopting decent work principles will help to curb exploitative practices. It is hoped that labour standards will follow a similar trajectory to health and safety, which has seen a marked improvement in the industry over the past two decades. Organisations demonstrating leadership in this area will make their businesses more resilient."

Chris Blythe OBE Chief Executive at the CIOB said it is time to "get real" about the challenges facing UK construction.

"Contrary to public perceptions, modern slavery is not confined to small illegal operators," he said.

"Criminals are attracted to big business because of the greater profits that they can earn. Unscrupulous labour providers, operating in the grey area of the law, are also creating misery for thousands of British and foreign workers.

"We need to change the conversation that we have with clients, our peers and the media. Suppliers and labour agencies should be rewarded for finding and reporting problems, contractors need to promote fairer business models and clients need to be more explicit about their ethical expectations. This goes to the heart of professional leadership. We need to empower everyone working in this industry to act, share and collaborate for the greater good."

To view the CIOB's report, visit here.

(LM)