Ryan FowlerThe Business and Trade Committee (BTC) will host a second evidence session in its inquiry Making Work Pay: The Employment Rights Bill, focusing on labour rights in domestic operations and global supply chains.
Scheduled for Tuesday 7th January, the session will feature representatives from McDonald’s, Tesco, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), and Chinese online retailers Shein and Temu. The committee will also hear from the UK’s Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and the Director of Labour Market Enforcement at the Department for Business and Trade.
Central to the session are questions about the ethical implications of zero-hours contracts and labour rights enforcement throughout global supply chains. While companies like McDonald’s have defended zero-hours contracts, claiming they offer flexibility for workers, critics argue they contribute to power imbalances, leaving employees vulnerable to exploitation. The BTC aims to explore whether such employment models exacerbate workplace inequalities and undermine labour standards.
A key concern raised by the committee is the risk of the UK effectively exporting labour abuses abroad. With international supply chains often involving regions where labour rights are weak or poorly enforced, British businesses may inadvertently support exploitative practices. The committee will examine how major retailers and their suppliers ensure compliance with ethical labour standards across jurisdictions.
The oral evidence session will begin at 2.30pm, with Alistair Macrow, CEO of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, Claire Lorains, group quality, technical and sustainability director at Tesco, and Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the BRC appearing first.
At approximately 3.30pm, representatives from Shein and Temu, including Yinan Zhu, EMEA general counsel at Shein, and Stephen Heary and Leonard Klenner from Temu, will provide evidence.
Later in the afternoon, Eleanor Lyons, UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, and Margaret Beels OBE, director of labour market enforcement at the Department for Business and Trade, will offer insights into how enforcement measures can be strengthened to prevent labour abuses and uphold ethical standards.
The BTC’s inquiry reflects growing political pressure to ensure that businesses operating in the UK, and those with extensive international supply chains, are held accountable for upholding labour rights. The committee’s findings could influence key provisions in the Employment Rights Bill, particularly concerning zero-hours contracts, labour market enforcement, and anti-slavery measures.
