Date published 24 August 2022
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The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Marshalls plc, the leading hard landscaping and building materials supplier in the United Kingdom, started a new project to study the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on natural stone processing and exporting businesses in Vietnam including how it affected the workers, including internal migrant workers. The study aims to determine the sector’s readiness to progress on ethical recruitment and responsible employment practices as Vietnam’s economy recovers.
Progress on responsible recruitment and employment of workers, including migrant workers, has slowed down due to lockdowns and other restrictive measures imposed by the government to curb the spread of Covid-19. Exploitative working conditions have become more prevalent, especially in those complex supply chains where oversight is often limited.
In Vietnam, Covid-19 has negatively impacted the livelihoods of many workers, especially internal migrant workers employed in the natural stone industry. They experienced job losses, restrictions of movement, lack of access to healthcare, long isolation and limited employment opportunities back in their origin communities, leaving them more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
"With growing human rights due diligence regulations, an increasing number of global buyers require their supply chain partners to comply with international standards on ethical recruitment and responsible employment" said Mihyung Park, Chief of Mission, IOM Vietnam. "In addition, conscious consumerism and ethical investment are on the rise. Suppliers in Vietnam can no longer put these priorities on hold if they want access to foreign markets and build back better," Ms Park added.
Marshalls plc has been annually reporting on how it addresses forced labour risks in its operations and supply chains since the passing of the UK Modern Slavery Act in 2015. The company became an active UN Global Compact participant in 2009. It was also the first in its sector to implement the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code which it continues to embed across its supply chains.
Marshalls ESG and Human Rights Director, Elaine Mitchel-Hill, said: "Collaboration is an essential part of tackling labour abuses. We welcome this next stage in our partnership with IOM, which will give us a sector-wide view of an industry in recovery after the pandemic. Our aim is to understand how we can better support the natural stone sector to improve its labour practices and to develop new strategies for supply chain engagement and remediation."
Marshalls plc has collaborated with IOM in the Viet Nam natural stone sector since 2019. The findings of this new study, which will cover the entire industry and Marshalls plc suppliers, will serve as a baseline for a longer-term partnership to create an enabling environment for sustainable positive change for all workers, including migrant workers. This partnership is part of IOM’s Corporate Responsibility in Eliminating Slavery and Trafficking (CREST) initiative, which aims to enable businesses to respect and promote the human and labour rights of migrant workers in Asia.
For more information about the partnership, please contact Nguyen Thu Huong at thuongnguyen@iom.int or Emma.Crates@marshalls.co.uk
For media queries, please contact Nguyen Thi Hong Yen at thihnguyen@iom.int or Emma.Crates@marshalls.co.uk