Dr Georgopoulos submits written evidence to Parliamentary Inquiry on "Forced Labour in UK Value Chains"

Dr Georgopoulos, submitted written evidence to the inquiry of the Business Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee of the House of Commons that investigates forced labour in the UK value Chains. Dr Georgopoulos is part of a legal team consisting of barristers from Church Court Chambers and lawyers from Irwin Mitchell Solicitors. 

 Dr Georgopoulos argued that: "The existing legal framework of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 is in the right direction but in its current form is rather weak in addressing the real concerns regarding human rights standards in the global supply chains of firms doing business in the United Kingdom". 

Dr Georgopoulos added that:  "There are no specific consequences or sanctions if commercial organisations do not comply with the duty to prepare an annual slavery and human trafficking statement (s. 54 of the Modern Slavery Act) or comply with the letter the but not the spirit and aim of the provision in the sense that they release “window dressing” statements which do not represent or reflect any meaningful monitoring action on behalf of the commercial organisation." 

 Dr Georgopoulos suggested that a clear duty of due diligence is required both for economic operators but also public buyers (public procurement) in order to ensure compliance with human rights standards in the UK global value chains. He added that "the lack of a clear due diligence duty supported by consequences for non-compliance deprives the existing provision of s. 54 Modern Slavery Act from any substantial impact towards sustaining higher human rights standards in the supply chains and renders the latter an ornamental feature of the legal framework."

 Finally Dr Georgopoulos pointed out that it is important that UK keeps abreast with developments in the European Union in this regard -where the adoption of a new Regulation that introduces this type of anti-forced labour due diligence duty has been announced for 2021- not only in order to ensure that the UK abides by the highest standards of human rights protection in the global supply chains  but also for UK based companies who want to have access to the EU single market or be part of the supply chain of companies who carry out business activities in the EU.