New guide offers tools for public procurement entities in Finland to address the risks of labour exploitation:
Commissioned by the Ministry of Finance, the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, affiliated with the United Nations (HEUNI), has produced a guide for risk management in national supply chains for public procurement agencies in Finland titled Labour Exploitation and Public Procurement. Public procurement agencies include the central government and municipalities, which are required to comply with the Act on Public Procurement and Concession Contracts. The guide has been prepared in connection with the Action plan for effective public procurement and the implementation of the Procurement Finland Strategy.
Labour exploitation of migrant workers occurs also in Finland. Prevention of labour exploitation and human trafficking is especially important in the procurement process in high-risk sectors such as cleaning, construction and restaurants. Measures will help contracting entities to prevent all forms of exploitation, including labour violations and more severe offences, and promote fundamental principles and rights at work.
The guide provides information on of exploitation of migrant workers and human trafficking in Finland, and advice on how to react when cases of labour exploitation are suspected or encountered. The guide also proposes measures for the prevention of exploitation at different stages of the procurement procedure. Similar guidelines for preventing labour exploitation have not been published before in Europe, which gives Finnish contracting entities a unique opportunity to be forerunners in human rights responsibility matters.
Procurement Finland website (in Finnish)
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