BLOOD BRICKS CAMPAIGN

That this House notes with concern the conditions of brick labourers in India; emphasises the fact that many of these labourers see abuses of minimum wage rates and health and safety regulations; further notes that many work up to 16 hours a day; further notes that children as young as four years old are also working in these conditions; further notes that such labour is often bonded labour and that a recent BBC report brought to light examples of workers having their hands cut off when trying to escape; welcomes the work by Union Solidarity International in highlighting these abuses through its Blood Bricks campaign; highlights the 2011 UN and OECD guidelines specifying that multinational companies should have direct responsibility for human rights abuses anywhere in their supply chains; is concerned that these guidelines are not being enforced; stresses that any and every industry using new buildings in India should be under scrutiny; and calls on the Government to bring forward legislation to enforce these guidelines in UK law and to raise these issues in international negotiations.