Bayldon says the research shows why New Zealand needs modern slavery legislation. Currently, he says, it s very difficult for Kiwis to find out if products they are looking at purchasing are linked to forced or child labour and many buying goods linked to slavery unwittingly . Companies are also not required to check their supply chains are contributing to slavery, he says.
Bayldon said legislation could require businesses to understand the risks of modern slavery in their puchasing, report on those risks and take action to address them. That would give consumers more information about what they are buying and how it was manufactured.
Today, Social Development and Employment Minister Carmel
Sepuloni and Transport and Workplace Relations and Safety
Minister Michael Wood joined the Road Transport Forum to
launch a traineeship dedicated to the road transport
industry - Te ara ki tua Road to success. On the back
of research that we conducted last year, trucking operators
clearly identified a shortage of drivers being a problem for
their businesses, Road Transport Forum (RTF) chief
executive Nick Leggett says. We believe in industry
solving its own problems where possible, so we decided the
time was right for a dedicated truck driver traineeship, run
by the RTF for the industry we represent.
It’s difficult for people to avoid buying these products because New Zealand businesses aren’t required to check their supply chains or publish any findings, the research said. It’s what Bayldon calls a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach. It means “it’s currently almost impossible for Kiwis to have confidence that what we buy and use is slavery-free”, he said.
STUFF CIRCUIT/Stuff
Dozens of household goods have been linked to the forced labour of Uyghur people in China. The links between forced or child labour and goods like clothes, shoes and electronics are fairly well known. But this research shines a light on the scale of the problem, for what Bayldon believes is the first time.
Wellington bus drivers are back on the roads after a lockout was overturned, and will continue to work while mediation takes place between the union and their employer, NZ Bus.