People and the planet are being harmed by the actions of corporations and the public sector. And there are no national or international laws to stop them.
UNISON is involved in two campaigns to Stop Corporate Abuse
- The United Nations Binding Treaty on Business and Human Rights and
- A Failure to Prevent (human rights due diligence) UK regulation.
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‘Failure to prevent’ harm to people and the planet in our public sector supply chains
In 2019, we joined our partner Corporate Justice Coalition and more than 20 other organisations to call for a UK law to hold business and the public sector to account when they fail to prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms.
This would require them to undertake ‘human rights and environmental due diligence’ (HREDD) across their supply chains and hold them liable when they fail to prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms.
It should be based on the existing 2010 UK Bribery Act’s ‘Failure to Prevent’ model. Momentum for laws like this has gathered pace with around 15 national campaigns across Europe and the EU Commission are set to introduce a law very soon.
It’s not going to be easy to take this law to Parliament but with your help, we’ll get there sooner.
UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights
Whilst new national laws to prevent harm to people and planet and EU-wide legislation will make a difference, it’s still not enough. We need global rules to level the playing field for all corporations. Therefore, UNISON has also been supporting a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights (UNBT) so that entire company operations and activities across the world are regulated.
Take action
Raise awareness in your branch:
- Failure to Prevent PowerPoint to start building awareness and support within your branches (under construction, nearly ready! Watch this space)
- Share this short video with your branch, friends and family and ask them to share it and to support the campaign when opportunities arise
Petitions and lobbying elected politicians:
- Sign this petition to ask your MP to support the UN Binding Treaty
- Ask your Member of Parliament/Assembly, your local councillors, Leader or Mayor to sign the UN Binding Treaty’s Call of people’s representatives Worldwide.
Learn more about public procurement and global supply chains on our Purchasing Power page and find out how you can help your employer to play their part by putting workers’ at the heart of public procurement
Learn more: What do the experts say?
- Frequently Asked Questions for a new Failure to Prevent abuse to people and the planet regulation.
- Industry experts talk in this UNISON webinar about why we need a UK Failure to Prevent HRDD law and what difference it will make
- News story: Rights groups join forces to call for UK corporate accountability laws
- News story: UNISON demands human rights due diligence law for supply chains: Both business and the public sector should be held to account if they fail to prevent human rights abuse and environmental damage
- The international trade union movement’s position on HRDD. “Towards mandatory due diligence in global supply chains” makes eight recommendations for effective due diligence at the domestic level, based on an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of existing legislation by Professor Oliver De Schutter for the ITUC
- News story: Ending corporate impunity is at the heart of a sustainable post-pandemic recovery – that’s why we need a strong Binding Treaty
- The UK Civil Society for a Binding Treaty parliamentarian briefing 2021