Pallet Trucks UK has urged workers in transport and warehousing to remain vigilant after the two industries were named as being common for exploitation.
Modern slavery is a horrific practice which is currently rife in the UK, with victims of modern slavery being trafficked into Britain and forced to work long hours in return for very little pay, with most of the victim’s wages being passed on to the traffickers.
Independent law enforcement charity Crimestoppers has joined forces with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) in an effort to stop the growing issue with its ‘Spot the Signs’ initiative, which is designed to help people spot the symptoms of people who may be victims of exploitation.
Phil Chesworth, Pallet Trucks UK Managing Director, said: “It’s terrible that such a disgusting practice is going on in the UK, often right under our noses. Victims of the practice may repeatedly come into work bearing injuries because of the abuse they endure, and tend to have inappropriate clothing or safety equipment for the job they’re doing as they can’t buy it themselves.
“With warehousing and transport being industries we’re very much involved in, I’d like to urge anyone who thinks that someone they work with might be being exploited in this cruel manner to contact Crimestoppers immediately.”
Victims of modern slavery are often kept in packed accommodation with other victims to create larger profits for traffickers, and many tend to be malnourished or underweight due to them not being allowed to buy their own food.
Further signs of exploitation include workers wearing the same clothes, being unhygienic and being collected and dropped off from work early in the morning or late at night. Victims of modern slavery may also appear to be scared of talking and hesitant to make eye contact, as well as having little or no identification or documentation.
Phil added: “Many victims of modern slavery come from eastern-European countries and have a bias towards industries which require manual labourers, which is why warehousing and transport jobs have been named as being common areas for exploitation.”
The National Crime Agency predicted last month that modern slavery is likely ‘in the tens of thousands’ in the UK, a shocking figure considering that the number was said to be around 3,600 by the UK Government in 2016.
Modern slavery also commonly forces victims of human trafficking and migrant workers to work in prostitution, drug smuggling, manufacturing, car washing and agriculture as well as transport and warehousing.
Pallet Trucks UK produces a range of long-lasting, high quality products which are widely used in the UK transport and warehousing industries such as pallet trucks, stackers and forklift trucks.
The UK-based company also sells products such as moving skates, platform lifts, lift tables, sack trucks and drum loaders, and as a result often does sells its wares to workers and businesses in the construction industry.
