Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Fast UK Parcel Ltd — Our Commitment to Our Clients
Mission Statement
Fast UK Parcel Ltd takes pride in the services we offer our clients and is committed to providing them to the highest standards and in accordance with all applicable laws. In addition, whilst being cognisant of our clients' requirements from an operational and client-conduct perspective, our aim is to exceed those expectations and deliver high-quality services in an ethical and responsible manner. This document outlines the code of conduct that underpins Fast UK Parcel’s commitment to its CSR responsibilities and forms part of an ongoing engagement strategy with our employees, clients and service providers, who must ALL agree to adhere to and be bound by these principles.
General Principles
1. Health and Safety and PPE Policy
This is at the forefront of our CSR principles. We are committed to providing our employees and service providers with a safe and healthy work environment in accordance with the minimum standards of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974. In addition, we require our clients and service providers to ensure they adhere to the same requirements and legislation.
The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (1992) impose the mandatory PPE required in order for a driver to provide services:
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High-visibility jacket/vest
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Safety shoes
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Key chain
2. Occupational Safety
Where possible, we provide training and awareness to our employees and service providers on workplace safety procedures to help control exposure to potential physical safety hazards. All employees and service providers receive regular briefings and advice about their respective environments. We also ensure that our clients provide the appropriate advice when our employees and/or service providers are working within their environments. In addition, all employees and service providers, where appropriate, are provided with, or encouraged to provide, the appropriate PPE and educated and trained in its proper use. We also maintain records and manage, track, and report occupational injuries and illnesses.
3. Child Labour
Fast UK Parcel will not tolerate the use of child labour. We only engage employees or service providers, who are or who engage with employees or subcontractors, whose age is the greater of: (i) 15, (ii) the age of completion of compulsory education, or (iii) the minimum age to work in the country where work is performed. Furthermore, we also ensure that employed workers under the age of 18 must not perform hazardous work. Fast UK supports the development of legitimate workplace apprenticeship programmes that comply with applicable laws and this CSR policy.
4. Physically Demanding Work
Where possible we continually identify, evaluate, and monitor physically demanding tasks to ensure that an employee’s or service provider’s health and safety is not jeopardised. If appropriate, we work with and advise our clients if such risks exist within their environment or control.
5. Involuntary Labour, Human Trafficking, and Slavery
Fast UK Parcel do not and will not knowingly use forced labour — slave, prison, indentured, bonded, or otherwise. We will not or do not traffic workers or in any other way exploit workers by means of threat, force, coercion, abduction, or fraud. We also insist that our service providers strictly adhere to this principle. We recognise that working (in the case of employees) and providing services (in the case of our service providers) must be voluntary, and, where appropriate, employees must be free to leave work and terminate their employment or another work status with reasonable notice, and that there is no mutuality of obligation with our service providers, who may cease the provision of their services without giving any notice.
We also recognise that, in the case of our employees, we must bear or reimburse the cost of recruiting, hiring and training. This equally applies to service providers, except where to do so may have a material impact on their self-employed status and as businesses in their own right, in accordance with applicable laws and guidelines. We do not require workers to surrender government-issued identification, passports, or work permits as a condition of working, but do request sight of such documentation in order to verify, validate and complete legitimate administrative and immigration processing. We do ensure that all employees are issued with clear, understandable employee contracts regarding the terms and conditions of their engagement, in a language understood by the employee, and all service providers are issued with a Contract for Service / SLA which accurately reflects the nature of the services they are providing as a self-employed individual or business in their own right.
6. Working Hours
Except in unusual or emergency situations, we do not require any employee or service provider to work or provide services in excess of 60 hours per week. Our service providers are self-employed and have the right to choose their provision of service; however, we ensure, and advise, that our service providers do not provide services in excess of six consecutive days. In addition, in accordance with GB Driver Guidelines, we monitor driving hours to ensure our service providers do not exceed the maximum permitted by law and in the interest of their own and public safety. Where excessive hours are as a result of our client’s requirements, we reserve the right to record and notify the respective client accordingly.
7. Remuneration, Wages and Benefits
We are committed to ensuring that all our employees and service providers are paid in a timely manner, and provide remuneration that, at a minimum, satisfies applicable laws and is equivalent to the UK National Minimum Wage (NMW) recommendations. Employees are provided with the appropriate documentation (payslip, etc.) and service providers are paid via a recognised third-party payment provider in accordance with the self-billing process. Deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure are not permitted.
8. Immigration Compliance
Fast UK Parcel will only engage with employees and/or service providers who have a legal right to work. Where Fast UK Parcel engage foreign or migrant service providers, such providers will be engaged in full compliance with UK immigration and labour laws.
Ethical Principles & Behaviour
9. Fair Treatment
Fast UK Parcel requires that all employees and service providers must be treated with respect and dignity. We do not engage in or permit physical, verbal, or psychological abuse or coercion, including threats of violence, sexual harassment, or unreasonable restrictions on entering or exiting work and residential facilities. Employees and service providers must be free to voice their concerns, including about our clients, the environment or our company, to our independent auditors without fear of retaliation by either our client or our own management.
10. Anti-discrimination
Conditions of working must be based on an individual’s ability to do the job, not on personal characteristics or beliefs. Therefore, we do not discriminate against our employees or service providers on the basis of race, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age, political opinion, pregnancy, marital or family status, or similar factors in hiring and working / service practices such as job applications, promotions, job assignments, training, wages, benefits, and termination. Other than pursuant to specific client requirements (i.e. drug and alcohol screening), we do not subject workers or applicants to medical tests that could be used in a discriminatory manner.
11. No Bribery
Fast UK Parcel does not offer nor accept bribes or other means of obtaining undue or improper advantages to anyone for any reason, whether in dealings with our clients, governments or the private sector. We do not, by way of inducement or enticement, encourage or solicit employees of our clients in exchange for preferential or beneficial treatment, or do anything in breach of their own internal business or conduct ethics.
12. Anti-Corruption
Fast UK Parcel is committed to complying with all applicable anti-corruption laws, the United Kingdom Bribery Act, or any other geographically applicable law, and will not offer anything of value, either directly or indirectly, to government officials in order to obtain or retain business. We will not and do not make illegal payments to government officials, either directly or via third parties, and where engagement with government officials is required, we will always seek and adhere to client and legal guidance on the law governing payments and gifts to government officials.
13. Whistleblowing
Where a client-led whistleblowing policy or procedure is in place, Fast UK will, at all times, protect employee or service provider whistleblower confidentiality and prohibit retaliation against employees and service providers who report workplace grievances. We also reserve the right to operate our own autonomous whistleblowing policy, enabling employees or service providers to submit any grievances they may have about any of the clients we are engaged with.
14. Management Accountability and Responsibility
Fast UK Parcel has engaged an external provider to ensure independent audit of all management systems and programmes, from a compliance perspective and in accordance with applicable laws and these CSR principles, and will have designated internal management for implementing and monitoring recommendations and next steps. Fast UK Parcel also expects service providers and/or subcontractors to respect and adhere to the standards and practices covered by these principles.
Management Principles
15. Risk Management
Fast UK Parcel has engaged the services of an independent third party to ensure that there are processes in place to identify any environmental, health, safety, and ethical risks associated with their operational and labour practices. This includes any risks associated with the services provided to, or demands made by, our clients, and the development, implementation and management of risk control mechanisms to ensure regulatory compliance.
16. Documentation and Personal Data
Fast UK Parcel ensures that they strictly adhere to the requirements of the Data Protection Act and revised GDPR legislation with regard to the retention, storage and disposal of documentation and personal data in respect of clients, employees and service providers. Fast UK Parcel is subject to an annual independent audit to maintain compliance with all applicable laws.
17. Emergency Procedures and Responses
Where appropriate, Fast UK Parcel has identified risk and implemented plans for emergency situations and has trained its staff accordingly on response systems, including emergency reporting, alarm systems, employee / provider notification and evacuation procedures. Where employees / service providers are engaged on client premises, they are encouraged to familiarise themselves with all required emergency procedures, as directed by the client, and to follow all instructions from the respective client in the event of any emergency situation.
18. Freedom of Association
Fast UK Parcel respects the rights of employees and, if / where applicable, their service providers, to establish and join a legal organisation of their own selection, and ensures they are not penalised or subjected to harassment or intimidation for the non-violent exercise of their right to join or refrain from joining such legal organisations.
19. Training
Fast UK Parcel will maintain and conduct appropriate training and communication programmes for managers to implement the standards in this CSR policy and principles, and to comply with applicable legal requirements.
20. Safe Working (Machinery)
Where any employees and/or service providers are required to operate any machinery, a regular machinery risk and maintenance programme will be implemented. Where service providers are required to operate any client machinery, Fast UK will ensure that the appropriate client processes and responsibilities are in place and implemented.
21. Access to Facilities
Where appropriate, employees and service providers will be provided with reasonable access to clean toilet facilities and potable drinking water. Such access will also be applicable where employees and service providers are engaged on clients’ sites, and Fast UK Parcel will ensure such access is provided by the client. Fast UK Parcel does not provide housing for employees or service providers.
22. Communication and Employee and Service Provider Feedback
Where possible, Fast UK operates an ‘open-door’ policy in terms of communication and actively encourages, in accordance with the employment status, employees and service providers to give feedback on all matters, including these principles. Where appropriate, in the interest of best practice and in accordance with the relevant DPA and GDPR legislation, Fast UK Parcel will share such information with their clients.