Modern Slavery is a problem that is growing and one that we at Selective Travel Management are committed to addressing. The rise in globalisation has brought with it a rise in exploitation including people trafficking, forced labour debt bondage and child marriage. The International Labour Organisation estimates that approximately 21million people are in forced labour globally. At Selective Travel Management we endeavour to ensure there are no Modern Slavery risks within our own business or our supply chains.
World Travel Centre Group was founded in 1990 and has grown to be one of the UK and Ireland’s largest travel companies. We operate in two locations, our group head office in Dublin: 43 Pearse St Dublin 2 and our Belfast office: Murray’s Exchange, Lower Ground Floor, 1 Linfield Road, Belfast, BT12 5DR. World Travel Centre group operates three unique industry functions: Corporate, Consolidation, and Retail. Our corporate function operates under the Selective Travel Management brand. Our purpose is to deliver an exceptional personalised experience for our clients through our team of experts.
At Selective Travel Management our model is based on supplying business travel management for industry sectors including Government departments, higher education sector, SME’s and the NGO sector. Service is at the core of what we do best & we will only work with likeminded suppliers. Our partnerships are founded on values and ethos that align with our own. Our values include integrity, passion, safety, innovation, teamwork and knowledge. We only work with reputable suppliers, most of whom we have partnered with for many years and we take responsibility for ensuring our supply chains are clean of slave labour. This is done through our ISO Quality Management Systems, we have formal SLAs with all suppliers and we carry out frequent supplier audits.
Our commitment to preventing modern slavery is integrated into our staff and supplier codes of conduct and is addressed in policies such as:
We require our staff and suppliers to act in a way that reflects our values and ethics both inside and outside the workplace. We will not work with a supplier before carrying out thorough research into their business procedures and we ensure they are appropriately licensed to carry out the service they are providing. We carryout bi-annual risk assessments across our business which includes supplier audits. In line with our commitment to the Modern Slavery Act we have added a clause to our risk assessment that specifically addresses this issue within our supply chain.
Selective Travel Management strives to create a caring and safe environment where staff can flourish. We do not tolerate discrimination, abuse or harassment of any kind and we expect the same of our suppliers. In 2015 we were accredited with the Investors in People award following significant investment into our people and their development. Our employee charter sets our commitment to our people and in turn what we expect from them. All staff must adhere to our codes of conduct and company policies.
Our staff have been fully trained in procedures that support the Modern Slavery Act and are expected to work in line with this framework. We have facilitated awareness workshops for staff which outline the channels through which Modern Slavery can manifest and the procedures required should a concern arise. We operate an open door communication policy and we also provide a protected disclosure facility should a staff member require confidentiality.
The World Travel Centre Group maintain a commitment to preventing Modern Slavery and will continue to operate a zero tolerance policy in this regard. In accordance with section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 this statement has detailed the actions taken during the financial year ending 31st October. This statement will be reviewed annually and its effectiveness will be measured in line with KPIs.
