Eradicating Modern Slavery Through Corporate Responsibility and Domestic Production

Eradicating Modern Slavery Through Corporate Responsibility and Domestic Production

Executive Summary

Modern slavery is not a historical issue, it is a present crisis. The British Democratic Alliance recognises that an estimated 130,000 people live in conditions of modern slavery within the UK, and millions more suffer globally in supply chains linked to British consumer markets. This policy sets out decisive, enforceable measures to eliminate slavery from UK-linked business activity and revive ethical, domestic manufacturing.

  1. Mandatory Direct Ownership of Manufacturing

Policy

All clothing and fashion brands that sell goods in the UK must:

  1. Own and operate their own manufacturing facilities, either directly or through wholly owned subsidiaries.
  2. Be prohibited from subcontracting garment production to third-party manufacturers domestically or abroad.
  3. Publish annual independently audited reports of their full supply chain.
  4. Publish a complete monthly list of all employees to enable auditors to check the tax records of these employees to ensure they are paid no less than the National Minimum wage and are not exploited in hours, charge backs or other underhand practices to claim money back from employees.

Rationale

Multinational corporations, and even national ones, have used subcontracting to shield themselves from legal liability and ethical accountability. This policy ends that practice.

  1. UK-Based Production Requirement

Policy:

  • 80% minimum of all garments sold under a UK registered brand must be manufactured within the UK.
  • Companies failing to meet this threshold will be barred from public procurement contracts and face escalating fines.

Support Measures:

  • Government investment in domestic textile infrastructure.
  • Tax incentives and grants to promote ethical manufacturing in post-industrial regions.

Rationale

Bringing garment production back to Britain ensures direct oversight, boosts regional economies, and restores ethical control over working conditions.

  1. Criminal and Financial Penalties for Slavery Involvement

Policy

Any UK registered company, or company trading in the UK, found to

  • Engage in,
  • Benefit from, or
  • Fail to prevent modern slavery or forced labour within their supply chain,

will be subject to:

  1. Financial Penalties
  • Fines up to 200% of annual UK turnover, not limited to net profit.
  1. Executive Accountability
  • Mandatory criminal prosecution of the senior officers and all board directors, including non-executive directors.
  • If convicted, Punishments shall be
    • Disqualification from directorships in any UK registered company for life.
    • Registered on the Register of Slave and Exploitation Tracking (REST) which shall be shared Internationally upon request.
    • Seizure of assets equivalent to their personal earnings in their time employed with the company, such as homes, bank accounts, vehicles and all material assets in the UK and we shall seek to seize any such assets held in other jurisdictions once mutual seizure agreements are in place.
    • Confiscation of Passport for Life and International travel ban.
    • Placed under a supervision order for a period of not less than 5 years with a GPS location monitor with curfew restrictions outside working hours.
  • Investors in the Company will face fines of 200% of their investment.
  • Where proven complicit, investors shall face the same penalties as executives.
  1. State Control Measures
  • In severe or repeated cases, the Government will assume temporary control of the company to protect workers and initiate ethical restructuring.
  • In such instances, the Government will then sell the company after restructuring with Government costs taken from the sale.
  • The Government will create a framework document of mutual benefit between this nation and the Government of others to ensure that assets held either in the UK or in an alternative jurisdiction are seized and UK citizens will be prosecuted where they are found involved in slavery of any description in any other Jurisdiction.
  • The Government will establish, with the help of partners, the Office of Slavery and Exploitation Investigation (OSEI) whose job will be to investigate allegations, train slavery experts to detect indicators and abuses, have the power to enter, seize and arrest in the event of Slavery Act breaches.
  • We shall work with authorities and Governments in other Jurisdictions to establish sister OSEIs who can then coordinate and work together across jurisdictional borders.

Rationale

Mild fines and public relations campaigns are inadequate. This policy delivers real consequences to corporate enablers of slavery.

  1. Global Supply Chain Transparency and Accountability
  • Companies must perform due diligence on all suppliers, including raw material producers.
  • Annual modern slavery impact assessments will be mandatory.
  • Any organisation operating in high-risk regions must employ an independent compliance officer registered in the UK with the OSEI.
  1. International Enforcement and Trade Alignment
  • BDA will propose an International Anti-Slavery Trade Pact, requiring reciprocal enforcement measures among signatories.
  • Companies in violation will be subject to import bans and market exclusion from the UK economy.
  • Nations that refuse to take decisive action on Slavery or sign reciprocal agreements will face severe sanctions by the Government which shall include but not be limited to.
    • Travel bans
    • Import Bans
    • Export Bans
    • Closure of Embassies and Consulate Offices
    • Ban on their citizens attending University or other education in the British Isles.
    • Entry and Immigration bans
  1. Whistleblower Protection and Victim Reparations
  • Whistleblowers exposing modern slavery must be granted full legal immunity and compensation.
  • Whistleblowers who enable a successful prosecution shall be rewarded with the equivalent of 5 years salary, tax free, from their employer.
  • Victims of slavery, both in the UK and in foreign-linked supply chains, will be entitled to restitution from offending companies via a mandatory victims’ fund.

Conclusion

This policy puts human dignity before corporate convenience. It eliminates loopholes, restores sovereign ethical manufacturing, and shows zero tolerance for the exploitative practices that have flourished in the shadows of globalisation.

The BDA believes that no nation can call itself civilised if it can tolerate slavery in any form. This white paper is a declaration:

Slavery will end, by force of law, by force of principle, and by force of national will.