Ethical recruitment is a key issue in supply chains and one that is essential to reduce the risk of forced labour around the world. While making a commitment to fair hiring and adopting an “employer pays” policy are steps in the right direction, repaying fees paid by migrant workers is the only way to free them from debt bondage.
Last week we hosted a webinar to discuss the issue and share our on-the-ground experience of identifying and remediating unethical recruitment practices and shared some insight and advice on practical steps to repayment of recruitment fees.
We were joined by Mike Scaglione, VP of Sales and Marketing at WRP, a world leading manufacturer and exporter of premium quality glove products, who shared their experience of being issued with a withhold release order (WRO) by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) based on information obtained that indicated that WRP’s products are produced, in whole or in part, using forced labour. This meant that 100% of their product could not pass through U.S. Customs from that day forward, making a huge impact on their revenue. Mike highlighted the steps they had to take, including repayment of recruitment fees, to be released from the WRO and shared advice for other businesses to prevent them from going down the same route.
Below you can watch a recording of the full webinar:
