UK: Public service union calls for human rights due diligence law for supply chains, demands protections for human rights defenders
'UNISON demands human rights due diligence law for supply chains', 4 May 2021
UNISON is stepping up its campaign for a new UK law that would hold companies to account when they fail to prevent human rights abuses and environmental damage in their business. The ‘failure to prevent’ law would mandate both companies and the public sector to undertake human rights due diligence (HRDD) across their supply chains. If a company fails to act and abuses go unchecked, it could be held liable in court. This would increase protection for workers, communities, human rights defenders and the environment... Thousands of trade unionists and other human and environmental rights defenders are murdered, detained, assaulted and/or threatened by entities connected with economic activity. Too many businesses are linked to serious abuses, including exploitative working conditions, modern slavery and child labour, toxic pollution, rampant destruction of rainforests and violent attacks on human rights defenders... Next month the EU is tabling its own version of the law, which seems likely to capture any business that is operating on EU soil, regardless of where it is headquartered...