Issue 31 – October 2023
Welcome to the October issue of the Fast Forward Newsletter presenting the latest updates and insights from the UK and beyond! As always, we aim to provide content that keeps you informed and engaged with the ever-evolving industry landscape. This month’s highlights:
Fast Forward News
- Building Commercially Sustainable Supply Chains: Reminder to watch the webinar recording!
- SEP Supplier Training
Industry and Legislative News – all sectors
- Call on policy makers to include living income and fair purchasing practices in EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
- Home Secretary announces new Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner
- Holiday pay ruling ‘entitles many UK workers to thousands in unfairly deducted wages’
Apparel and General Merchandise
We want to hear from you! Share your feedback and requests for inclusions in this publication or any other part of the programme. Contact us today!
The Fast Forward Team
FAST FORWARD NEWS
Building Commercially Sustainable Supply Chains
Webinar recording now available!
If you are an SEP subscriber, Member Brand or FF Approved Auditor login to your Dashboard to join Stronger Together’s Hannah Newcomb in this webinar to hear the latest updates on:
- Labour costing based on 2023 rates and predictions for 2024 and how this can inform your pricing strategies
- Momentum towards potential due diligence and purchasing practices regulation
- Best practice on fair purchasing practices and guidelines for suppliers and brands in Fast Forward
- Industry developments that impact your operations
Sign-up for our final webinar of 2023 on 28 November “Promoting Diversity and Inclusion” to
learn proactive strategies to foster diverse and inclusive workplaces and teams. The Fast Forward team will be on hand to address your queries during the live Q&A chat.
Do you have a suggestion for topics you’d like us to cover in 2024? We would love to hear your ideas, kindly email events@fastforwarduk.org.
Supplier (SEP) Training Sessions
The Supplier Engagement Programme (SEP) training sessions are now available for booking through your Dashboard. This presents a valuable opportunity for both brands and suppliers to enhance their skills and maximise the benefits of our programme.
During these 2.5-hour training sessions, your business can gain essential insights on how to effectively navigate your dedicated dashboard and self-paced Core Standards training modules, ensuring you remain well-informed about the latest standards and industry practices.
Our training sessions are open to both SEP subscribers and Brand members.
At the conclusion of each session, we offer dedicated breakout sessions for suppliers and brands separately. This provides a unique space for peer-to-peer discussions, allowing you to address questions, overcome challenges, and explore opportunities within your business and supply chain. To explore the full agenda of this training session, click here.
LEGISLATIVE AND INDUSTRY NEWS
Call on policy makers to include living income and fair purchasing practices in EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
70 NGOs and producer organisations have called on policy makers to include living income and fair purchasing practices within the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
Home Secretary announces new
Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner
Eleanor Lyons, the current Deputy Children’s Commissioner, has been selected to take up the role of Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to work collaboratively with the government and its partners to ensure modern slavery is effectively tackled in the UK, as well as working with international partners to promote best practice. The appointment is designated for a fixed period of three years, with Ms Lyons taking up the role from 1 1 December 2023.
Holiday pay ruling ‘entitles many UK workers to thousands in unfairly deducted wages’
As reported in The Guardian, a recent Supreme Court ruling could potentially provide redress to numerous UK workers who have experienced “unfair” deductions from their wages. Under the prior legal framework, workers found themselves unable to recoup money they were owed as they were only able to seek resolution through an employment tribunal for the most recent underpayment, with no recourse to address earlier discrepancies if there was a gap of three or more months between them. The recent judicial decision grants many workers the ability to challenge underpayments in their wages, even if there is a big gap since the last time it happened.
Rally for Workers’ Rights held in Leicester
As reported in Leicestershire Live, hundreds of workers gathered in Spinney Hill Park, alongside labour rights campaigners and trade unions on Sunday, 1 October, to hold a rally calling on fashion brands to commit to sustainable jobs in the city.
Just Good Work
Just Good Work is a free, interactive mobile app giving jobseekers and workers from the UK or abroad critical information and advice on recruitment and employment. The Fast Forward audit requires businesses to display the Just Good Work poster.
Posters are available to download for free in nine languages from the Fast Forward website: Albanian, Bulgarian, English, Croatian, Gujarati, Polish, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
IN THIS NEWSLETTER?
Follow us on LinkedIn
Fast Forward, Camberley House
1 Portesbery Road
Camberley, Surrey, UK GU15 3SZ 01276 919090