This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (“the Act”) and sets out the steps taken by Transdev plc and subsidiaries during the financial year ended 31st December 2023 to prevent slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chains.
It is a legal requirement under the Act that businesses operating in the UK with a turnover in excess of £36m publish a statement setting out the steps they have taken to ensure that there is no slavery or human trafficking in either its supply chains or own business. This statement has therefore been approved by the board of directors for Transdev plc and relevant subsidiaries.
Our organisation
Transdev plc (Company Number: 02749273) is the holding company for a group of companies providing transport services in the UK. The principal trading entities are Transdev Blazefield Limited (Company Number: 02605399), Comet Car Hire Limited (CCH) (Company Number: 06667754) and Transdev Airport Services (TAS) (Company Number: 11893824). Transdev plc is in turn a wholly owned subsidiary of Transdev Group, a global provider of transport services incorporated in France and whose ultimate parent undertaking is Caisse des Dépots et Consignations, a French public sector financial institution.
Transdev plc and its subsidiaries operate wholly within the UK and our suppliers are also predominantly based in the UK or Western Europe. We therefore consider that the risk of the business contracting with organisations engaged in or exposed to slavery or human trafficking is relatively low.
Our commitment and group policies
Transdev Group and subsidiaries are committed to achieving high standards of corporate social responsibility, underpinning our support for the United Nations’ Global Compact to which we have been a signatory to since 2003.
Transdev’s mission is to empower freedom to move for everyone every day. This places us at the heart of everyday life in our territories and makes us a key player committed to serving general interests, developing local services and protecting the environment.
Because we are people serving people, we are committed to protect human rights in our activities and in all relations with our stakeholders:
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Workers must have a safe and healthy working environment that meets or exceeds applicable standards for occupational safety and health.
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Working hours must comply with applicable local laws regulating hours of work.
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Wages, compensation and benefits must comply with local law, including those relating to minimum wages, overtime hours and legally mandated benefits.
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Harassment or discrimination against employees in any form is not acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to, gender, race, colour, caste, disability, veteran status, union membership, political beliefs, origin, religion, age, pregnancy or sexual orientation.
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Workers must be able to communicate openly with management regarding working conditions without fear of reprisal, intimidation or harassment.
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Workers must have the right to associate freely, join labour unions, seek representation and join workers’ councils in accordance with local laws.
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We interact with local communities on the human rights impacts of our operations.
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More speciality, Transdev is adamantly opposed to any form of modern slavery.
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Child Labour must not be utilised and age of employment must be in accordance with local labour law and international standards.
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Any form of forced or compulsory labour is unacceptable.
In addition to the Transdev Group Human Rights Statement detailed above, Transdev adheres to a Code of Ethics which outlines our ethical principles and reflects our commitment and the Group’s undertakings to all stakeholders. Our principles convey all the values that make Transdev a passionate, committed Group, and a high performing reliable partner. We require that our values are upheld by all our suppliers and service providers who undertake to respect them through our Supplier Charter. This Charter is aimed at ensuring that all of our suppliers adhere to high standards of ethical, environmental and social behaviour.
Due Diligenge and Management
Ethics and Compliance at Transdev is monitored through the Transdev Ethics & Compliance Committee. This Committee is managed at Transdev Group level by the Risks, Engagements and Ethics Department, which coordinates, drives and monitors the deployment and application of the Transdev Group’s Ethics & Compliance policy. The Committee meets to evaluate successes achieved, difficulties encountered and incidents recorded. The Committee can also meet on an ad-hoc basis as required to discuss any sensitive issues.
Ethics and Compliance are upheld by:
- the Transdev Group Executive Directors and the entire management line ;
- the Transdev Group Risks, Engagements and Ethics department ; and
- the Ethics and Compliance Coordinator of each operating country. The Ethics and Compliance Coordinator for the UK is Andrew Brown.
Within the UK specifically, Transdev operates a confidential whistleblowing hotline which can be used by all staff to report instances of concern in relation to modern slavery and human trafficking.
Training and KPI’s
In addition to the Transdev Group Ethics and Compliance Committee we ensure that our senior managers in the UK receive appropriate training and that this is disseminated through the organisation.
Following a review of the actions taken this year to ensure our Group Human Rights Policy, Code of Ethics and Supplier Charter are fully integrated into the UK businesses we have identified further steps to be taken during the coming year which include:
- Increased visibility of the Modern Slavery Statement, Group Code of Ethics and Group Human Rights Statement at local level.
- Increased frequency of UK Leadership team reviews.
- Review content of current training undertaken.