The Methodist Church is committed to working in partnership with others to see the eradication of slavery. As such, the Methodist Church has processes in place that validate, insofar as is it is reasonably practical, that any part of the Methodist Church only contracts with organisations that pay their staff the statutory new living wage or preferably the living wage according to the Living Wage Foundation. The Methodist Conference (the decision making body of the Church), has convened a task group that has worked on producing an on-line resource of practical materials to raise awareness of the issue among Methodists, to assist in individual and collective decision making, and to influence government policy at a local and national level in response to the reality of slavery and human trafficking.
Introduction to the Methodist Church
The Methodist Council oversees the work of the Connexional Team which resources the wider Church in seeking to fulfil Our Calling. This statement is adopted by the Methodist Council in seeking to ensure that the supply chains procured and utilised by the Connexional Team do not support slavery or human trafficking.
Supply chain
The Connexional Team has a procurement policy that requires as part of the tendering process that potential suppliers might be asked about: –
- attitude to and deployment of the UK Living Wage;
- compliance with legislation and codes of practice. Wherever possible, the Methodist Council only enters into contracts with organisations that are signed up to the Living Wage Foundation and where a supplier is not already signed up, will seek to ensure that the organisation becomes a member of the Living Wage Foundation within a fixed period of time.
In seeking to ensure that slavery does not take place within the supply chains procured and utilised by the Connexional Team further steps shall be taken which will include:
- Ensuring that all suppliers to the Connexional Team are committed to abolishing slavery and checking their modern slavery statements where appropriate.
- The Methodist Council will not enter into contracts and if necessary will withdraw from an existing contract, if an organisation does not have in place a commitment to abolishing slavery.
- The Methodist Church will only do business with suppliers who have their own anti-slavery and trafficking statements, who enter into contractual warranties and who are willing to provide compliance and audit information.
- New contracts will include wherever possible the right to terminate for breach of the Act.
Compliance with the Ethical (Investment) Policy
The Methodist Church complies with the Ethical (Investment) Policy of the Methodism Council and obtains advice when required from JACEI, CFB etc. JACEI submits an annual report to the Methodist Conference, where there is also an informal event where ethical investment can be discussed and a leaflet is published that looks at some of the issues that JACEI has dealt with over the last year. The annual reports can be found on the Methodist Church website here: Ethical investment.
Our Policies reflect our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business and as part of our commitment to preventing modern slavery and human trafficking, colleagues have access to policies including whistleblowing and are encouraged to raise any concerns about their own treatment by the company, or individual colleagues, in confidence and without fear. The Church continues to maintain its on-line resource material aimed at raising awareness and helping to counter slavery.
The Policy will be reviewed to reflect public policy and legislative changes and is made pursuant to Section 54(1) of The Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking Statement for the financial year ending 31st August 2024.
Regarding the adoption of this statement, please see Methodist Council Paper MC/19/26
Approved by the Methodist Council on 22/8/2023 on its behalf by Mr Doug Godfrey-Swanney, Connexional Secretary