Ozo Group partners up with Slave-Free Alliance to prevent worker exploitation

Ozo Group have signed a partnership with Slave-Free Alliance to prevent any exploitation and modern slavery within its operation.

Slave-Free Alliance is part of the non-profit Hope For Justice and works with organisations to protect human rights in operations and supply chains.

Slave-Free Alliance’s Rachel Hartley said the group is delighted to partner with Ozo Group in identifying and mitigating the risk of labour exploitation and modern slavery in business.

“We applaud Ozo Group for inviting our organisation into their business, and value their transparency in sharing their history and business model. This enables Slave-Free Alliance to accurately assess and support their efforts in addressing exploitation, highlighting areas of risk as well as best practice,” she said.

The partnership was announced on the same day as the signing of a new collective agreement between Ozo Group and General Workers’ Union.

CEO Fabio Muscat said Ozo Group was already the first Maltese company in this industry to sign a collective agreement with the GWU back in 2014, providing workers with a consolidated set of rights over and above those required by law.

Muscat stated he welcomes government regulation for temping-agencies, stating regulations will benefit the market and weed out abuses.

He said the economy needs foreign workers, and without such human resources a number of the country’s industries would not function.

“These regulations will benefit the market and will help weed out abuses,” he said.

During the signing ceremony, the HR director of Ozo Group underlined that all of the company’s employees were paid more than the minimum wage and given an additional discretionary allowance.

“The company also offers employees three working days of leave in cases of personal loss, including the loss of an unborn child, and a specific policy to address grievances and discipline in a way that prioritises education over letting people go,” he said.