The Modern Slavery Act came about in March 2015 and is designed to make provision about slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour and about human trafficking, including provision for the protection of victims; to make provision for an Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner; and for connected purposes. Section 54 of this Act states that certain commercial organisations must prepare a statement stating what steps the organisation has taken to ensure that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in both its own organisation and in any of its supply chains.

Around the world, something in the region of 40 million innocent men, women and even children have been forced into various forms of modern slavery, which is why it is so important for everybody to play their part in stamping out this vile business.

At Drinks Cash & Carry Wholesale Services (UK) Ltd (TWS), we are fully committed to conducting our business both honourably and ethically in our approach to tackling this problem and have implemented effective systems and controls throughout the business to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our business or that of our supply chains. This ethic applies to all persons working for and on behalf of TWS in any capacity, including employees at all levels, directors, officers, volunteers, agents, contractors or consultants.

TWS employ close to one hundred staff and have business dealings with over 1,000 customers and in excess of 200 suppliers, so we can see the extent of the number of people involved in keeping our business turning, but if we all resolve to work together we will spot the signs of abuse and help those who cannot help themselves. We continually check larger suppliers’ statements online, and verbally gather information from our smaller suppliers and customers who would not be duty bound to issue a statement.

During recruitment we conduct rigorous checks on any new employee, including their eligibility to work in the UK, in order to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will. Further, we have written procedures in place, that are easily accessible to all workers, that encourage an understanding that all staff at all levels of the company should demonstrate that they support and encourage whistleblowing, without any fear of reprisals.

We expect our suppliers to support our commitment to this cause and reserve the right to visit and assess their commitment to the policy, and further, we reserve the right to terminate any agreements should a supplier show disregard to this policy.

This statement has been approved by the Board of Directors