Modern Slavery Statement
Effective as of April 2025
Overview
This statement is made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, setting out the steps that STEMBricks.co.uk has taken and continues to take to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking do not take place within the business or its supply chain. STEMBricks.co.uk is a trading name of Getech Limited.
About STEMBricks.co.uk
STEMBricks.co.uk is a growing business dedicated to the sale and distribution of LEGO Education products and services.
STEMBricks.co.uk is committed to the principles of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and recognises modern slavery and human trafficking as criminal violations of fundamental human rights. All STEMBricks.co.uk employees understand that modern slavery may take many forms, including slavery and servitude, forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another to exploit them or their labour for personal or commercial gain.
As an equal opportunities employer, STEMBricks.co.uk is deeply committed to creating and sustaining a working environment which is free from discrimination and which guarantees the respect due to every single member of staff. STEMBricks.co.uk aims to ensure that all employees feel confident to disclose illegality and unethical behaviour whenever they encounter it and should be free and empowered to do so without fear of reprisal.
STEMBricks.co.uk’s recruitment and procurement processes ensure that all prospective and current employees are legally entitled to work within the UK and to safeguard colleagues, clients and partners from any abuse or attempts at coercion.
STEMBricks.co.uk does not and will continue to refuse to trade or conduct business with any organisation, whether in the UK or abroad, which knowingly supports (or is found to be involved in) slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. Where there is reason to suspect that modern slavery legislation and regulations are being (or may be) violated, STEMBricks.co.uk will notify and cooperate with the appropriate authorities to investigate and eradicate labour exploitation, regardless of where it is discovered.
Policies
With a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery or discrimination, STEMBricks.co.uk is committed to acting ethically and transparently and recognises that this requires accountability and integrity, values which STEMBricks.co.uk encompasses in all business dealings and relationships. STEMBricks.co.uk applies strict controls and systems to identify and safeguard against modern slavery and labour exploitation, with a view to protecting the health and safety, employment and human rights of all workers.
STEMBricks.co.uk believes it is the shared responsibility of every member of staff to support the prevention, detection and reporting of modern slavery; as such, all colleagues are provided with training on an annual basis to confirm that they understand their responsibilities and STEMBricks.co.uk’s obligations under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, and to ensure that they are comfortable and confident in identifying and reporting suspected or actual cases of modern slavery or human trafficking.
STEMBricks.co.uk has published the following policies, which are made available to all colleagues as part of the company’s ISO 9001-compliant Quality Management System (QMS):
- Bullying & Harassment policy
- CSR, Environmental & Sustainability policy
- Equality, Diversity & Equal Opportunities policy
- Induction & Probation policy
- Recruitment policy
- Safeguarding policy
- Supplier policy and
- Whistleblowing policy
STEMBricks.co.uk reviews all policies on an annual basis at a minimum and ensures that modern slavery risks and prevention controls are made a core consideration during the policy review process, from the perspective of STEMBricks.co.uk as both an employer and a procurer of goods and services.
Additionally, STEMBricks.co.uk operates procurement strategies and includes contractual terms and conditions explicitly referencing modern slavery and human trafficking regulations and legislation. By ensuring suppliers and partners adhere to these requirements, STEMBricks.co.uk is better able to embed and propagate a zero-tolerance policy towards modern slavery.
Supply Chain
Based on the findings of the UK Government and the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), the ICT hardware and electronics market is considered to be an area where modern slavery risks are significant. As such, STEMBricks.co.uk works tirelessly to promote industry-wide best practices and thorough due diligence regarding both recruitment and the management of the business supply chain. STEMBricks.co.uk’s supply chain is tightly controlled by Procurement and Compliance specialists, with all goods procured from a restricted range of approved and reputable suppliers throughout the UK and overseas. All supply partners are reviewed on an annual basis, with mechanisms in place to identify and guard against modern slavery, with particular attention paid to any suppliers or partners operating in other high-risk industries (as identified by the UK Government & GLAA), such as:
- Manufacturing
- Recycling & Waste disposal
- Transport & Courier services and
- Warehousing & Distribution services
STEMBricks.co.uk’s Supplier policy is revised and published annually, supporting the commitment to conducting thorough due diligence on all suppliers before onboarding or placing any business with them. All suppliers must confirm that they have never had any involvement in any offences relating to modern slavery or human trafficking and that their own policies and practices do not contradict the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 or any related article of legislation. All suppliers and partners are subject to an annual review and audit to ensure ongoing compliance with our standards.
All suppliers and partners must confirm that their own anti-slavery practices include, at a minimum, the following:
- Adherence to local and national law(s).
- Freedom of workers to terminate employment.
- Freedom of movement for all workers.
- Freedom of association for all workers.
- Provision of access to remedy, compensation and justice for victims of modern slavery, human trafficking and/or labour exploitation and
- The prohibition of:
- any threat of violence, harassment or intimidation.
- the use of worker-paid recruitment fees.
- compulsory overtime.
- underage/child labour.
- discrimination and/or discriminatory behaviours.
- confiscating workers’ original identification documents.
In addition to the requirements listed above, STEMBricks.co.uk also requires contractual confirmation from all suppliers regarding the following:
- Suppliers must have taken steps to identify and eradicate modern slavery within their business and its supply chain.
- Suppliers must hold their own suppliers accountable regarding modern slavery and/or human trafficking allegations.
- Suppliers must pay their employees the national minimum/living wage at a minimum.
- Where required by law, suppliers must publish an annual modern slavery statement on the Home Office’s modern slavery statement registry.
- STEMBricks.co.uk may terminate any contract with immediate effect where the other party is involved in an incident of modern slavery, labour exploitation or human trafficking.
Risk Assessment & Management
The primary areas of risk in relation to modern slavery for STEMBricks.co.uk relate to the recruitment of personnel and in engaging supply partners for the provision of goods and services.
STEMBricks.co.uk will ensure that considerations relating to modern slavery risks and prevention of labour exploitation remain key in the Supplier policy review process and that all reviews of policies undertaken will include consideration and prevention of the dangers of engaging people or groups through modern slavery.
Key Performance Indicators
95% of colleagues to undertake and complete mandatory training regarding modern slavery, human trafficking and exploitation by the 31st of December 2025.
100% of policies relating directly to staff are to be reviewed and revised by the 31st of December 2025.
Measures & Controls
- Reviewed and revised all policies and procedures relating to modern slavery.
- Reviewed and updated all modern slavery training materials, providing more significant information regarding high-risk labour exploitation factors within the ICT hardware sector.
- Revised Supplier policy to incorporate best practices within STEMBricks.co.uk’s supply chain.
- Continued auditing of supply chain partners in alignment with the published Supplier policy.
- Continued to monitor processes with considerations towards modern slavery identification and prevention throughout the procurement and distribution processes.
Further Plans
STEMBricks.co.uk continues to collaborate with its clients and partners to provide maximum protection to all employees by maintaining and reviewing policies and procedures, ensuring compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in a consistent, transparent and accountable manner, free from ethical ambiguity. Plans to further improve identification and prevention of modern slavery within the business include:
- Further revision of the supplier audit procedure to capture quality information regarding modern slavery prevention practices and policies.
- Review training to ensure that resource materials and levels of information remain sufficient and relevant.
- Continue to network with and promote to local businesses regarding best practices in identifying and preventing modern slavery.
- Publish an annual modern slavery statement in keeping with the Home Office’s statutory guidance regarding organisation structure, policies relating to modern slavery and human trafficking, STEMBricks.co.uk’s due diligence processes, training, risk assessments and risk management with detailed KPIs to measure the efficacy of steps taken (Modern Slavery statement registry – Getech Ltd).
Contact Details
If you suspect modern slavery, labour exploitation or human trafficking may be taking place, report it to the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700 or to the police on 101.
In the event of an emergency call, 999 immediately; your information could save a life.
In addition to the above, STEMBricks.co.uk staff and any external contacts can report their concerns relating to potential modern slavery within Getech or its supply chain to QualityCompliance@getech.co.uk.
Sponsorship
This modern slavery statement has been approved by Richard Maclean, Managing Director of Getech Limited, for the financial year ending March 2026. This statement is reviewed and updated at least annually.
