UKAEA Modern Slavery Statement: 2022/2023
UKAEA's commitment to preventing slavery and human trafficking in its corporate activities.
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Preface
This Modern Slavery Act statement (the “Statement”) is made pursuant to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and has been approved by the Chief Executive Officer of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority.
Introduction
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is one of the world’s leading fusion research laboratories, where our scientists and engineers are working with partners around the globe to develop fusion as a new source of cleaner energy for tomorrow’s power stations.
Our mission is to deliver sustainable fusion energy and maximise scientific and economic impact. However, we also recognise that we currently live in a world where slavery and human trafficking happens, and we will take all necessary steps to eradicate the occurrence of these practices in our supply chain.
We will ensure our policies and procedures are robust, transparent and promote ethical business practices. We will work with our partners and suppliers to eliminate any activity that is connected to modern slavery or human trafficking, and to create an environment which does not tolerate these practices, in any shape or form.
Background
UKAEA is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. The authority is a research organisation which is responsible for the development of nuclear power through fusion reactions.
The Authority’s mission is to ‘deliver sustainable fusion power and maximise scientific and economic benefits’, which will deliver both scientific and economic benefits, driving growth and jobs in hi-tech industries, across the United Kingdom.
Supply Chain and Due Diligence
UKAEA has an international reputation for scientific excellence, safety and impartiality, championing a culture of quality, inclusion and diversity, valuing and harnessing this throughout the supply chain. All supplier contracts are required to comply with relevant UKAEA policies, UKAEA Supply Chain Charter, national and international legislation.
Procurement is managed by a dedicated department within the organisation, who work in accordance with established UKAEA policies and procedures which provide transparency and oversight of all transactions.
We use external specialists to regularly audit our systems and processes. UKAEA holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification and is committed to continuous improvement. As part of that commitment, we review our procurement processes to ensure they highlight any activities that might indicate the abuse of human rights or modern slavery and provide oversight of our supply chain.
Training
UKAEA has implemented mandatory training that all staff are required to complete and which all new starters must complete within the first 2 weeks of joining the organisation. This course is designed to educate users on the forms of modern slavery, how to recognise it, and how to report it. We are continuing to ensure existing employees have completed the training.
In addition to this, we deliver Government Commercial College’s tackling modern slavery in supply chains: PPE case study course to commercial professionals who will be working closely with suppliers. This specialised training is designed to increase understanding of how to identify and mitigate modern slavery in supply chains throughout each stage of the commercial lifecycle.
Assessing and Managing Risk
UKAEA utilizes a Modern Slavery Assessment Tool to assess suppliers who have worked with us. We plan to assess the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking for all suppliers, and we will follow up flagged risks with meaningful engagement and appropriate action. We will tackle issues together openly and transparently.
We recognise that with the effects of Covid-19 many individuals across the globe have been made vulnerable in these circumstances and pressure on some sectors is increasing, thus increasing the risk of modern slavery and human trafficking. We have been monitoring the effect of Covid-19 on the supply chain and the results are published on UKAEA’s website. We will continue monitoring the effects of Covid-19 on the supply chain and will keep track of any changes to areas at risk to ensure we prioritise the necessary sectors and meet changing needs.
As part of updating internal procedures to reflect the Social Value Model, there has been development of UKAEA procurement templates and guidance to support the key themes. Modern slavery features under Theme 6 of the model, tackle workforce inequality. Subsequently, we have clear guidance as to how model award criteria could look as well as suggested reporting metrics to demonstrate the action of identifying and managing the risk of modern slavery within the supply chain.
Relevant Policies
We will not tolerate slavery or human trafficking in our business or supply chain. UKAEA maintains a suite of policies that set out our expectations and standards that all employees and contractors must adhere to. These policies are outlined below:
- Supply Chain Management - UKAEA will comply with all relevant legislation, regulations, codes of practice and other requirements applicable to management of the supply chain including with the Bribery Act 2010, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and Procurement Policy Note 02/23.
- Continuous Improvement - UKAEA will comply with government functional standards and seek to continually improve practices.
- Whistle Blowing - UKAEA encourages employees or others with serious concerns about any aspect of our work to come forward and express those concerns. Serious concerns include, but are not limited to:
- Fraud, corruption, and malpractice;
- Criminal or illegal behaviour;
- Failure to deliver proper standards of service (e.g., fail to comply with legal obligations);
- An attempt to cover up any of the above.
- Ethics - UKAEA is committed to ensuring that there is no modern-day slavery or human trafficking in any part of its business and supply chain including any organisations with which UKAEA collaborates.
- Counter Fraud - UKAEA will take disciplinary action and/or criminal proceedings whenever and wherever fraud or malpractice is identified.
- Business Practices - UKAEA is committed to carrying out its research, engineering design, enterprise, and other activities within a comprehensive ethical framework. It expects all those that undertake work on UKAEA’s behalf to demonstrate high standards of ethical and professional behaviour.
- People - We will clearly articulate our values, behavioural and performance expectations, incorporating these into our systems and practices and our interactions with government, industry, and stakeholders. We actively promote equality and value diversity. We also believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion. All polices are reviewed annually by the UKAEA Executive Committee.