Walmart and M&S Join Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment

IHRB and the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment are delighted to welcome M&S and Walmart to the Leadership Group's steering committee and core membership.

The Leadership Group is a collaboration between leading companies and expert organisations to drive positive change in the way that migrant workers are recruited. Its aim is bold - the total eradication of fees being charged to workers to secure employment over the next ten years as a means of tackling forced labour and human trafficking.

M&S and Walmart join IKEA, The Coca-Cola Company, Unilever, HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise in committing to collaborative leadership to abolish workers' paying fees for jobs.

Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, announced the news on 4 November. Vice President of Responsible Sourcing, Jan Saumweber, added:

"Combating forced labor remains a key challenge throughout the world, and regardless of where it occurs in the global supply chain, Walmart is committed to working with industry groups, governments, NGOs and suppliers to help eliminate forced labor. Walmart is proud to become a core member of the Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment, so we can work with others passionate about this important issue in order to create solutions.”

Head of Responsible Sourcing at M&S, Louise Nicholls, commented that collaboration is crucial in tackling debt bondage:

“We believe we can achieve far more by working with others. The Employer Pays principle is a good example of this – by bringing our voices together, we have the opportunity to create momentum and awareness on an important issue which to date has not been well understood, working to promote a model of ethical recruitment and fairer treatment of migrant workers.”