Synergy Hire Ltd recognizes the importance of identifying and preventing modern slavery and its causes in our business and supply chain. This statement, is made under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, sets out the steps we have taken to address Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking in our business and supply chain for the year ended 31st March 2026.

We recognise that addressing modern slavery is fundamental to our values, our corporate governance framework, and our commitment to operating responsibly and sustainably. Modern slavery is a crime and a violation of fundamental human rights. It includes slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, debt bondage, child labour and human trafficking. These practices involve the exploitation of individuals through coercion, deception or abuse of power for personal or commercial gain.

 

Structure

Synergy Hire Ltd is a plant rental business with its Head Office being located at Dunham’s Lane, Letchworth, SG6 1LL supporting 4 depot locations in Kent, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Midlands. Although we are a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Construction Machinery Co Ltd (“HCM”), headquartered in Japan. Responsibilities of legal compliance remain with the Chief Executive Officer of Synergy Hire Ltd.

As of 31 March 2026, Synergy Hire employed approximately 100 employees.

Corporate Social Responsibility 

The Company has a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery and are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships. We conduct our business ethically to minimise the risk of slavery or human trafficking in our business and in our supply chains as much as possible. We also strive to engage employees in understanding why addressing modern slavery is important and how to identify and act on indicators of slavery.

We recognize that slavery is not just an ethical and human rights issue, it is one of criminality. We understand that corruption is a key factor and driver of exploitation. As part of our governance agenda, we continue to be committed to conducting our business ethically and to minimizing the risk of slavery or human trafficking in our own business or within our supply chain as much as possible.

 

Supply Chain

Our approach to Human Rights is to create a value chain where the Human Rights of all stakeholders are respected, we seek to align with suppliers who actively address modern slavery regulations.

Our supply chain comprises parts, transport, fuels and other forms of construction equipment from predominantly UK based companies. We aim to source parts and materials from local suppliers to ensure the delivery of our services remains at a high level for our customers. We acknowledge this is an ongoing process and, in common with other companies, will face challenges. We collaborate with our supply chain and other stakeholders to overcome challenges and to ensure that our due diligence process is effective.

Respecting human rights and environmental conditions is at the forefront of our decision making. All prospective suppliers are subject to our Supplier Evaluation Process which enables Synergy Hire Ltd to assess the suitability of any company wishing to supply products or services to us and therefore become a part of our supply chain. The company is formulating ongoing audits of our supply chain to ensure compliance, and our expectations are met.

 

Staff Involvement and Training

The Company’s Chief Executive Officer has approved this policy. All Senior Management teams are expected, and required to act, where concerns are received whether from inside or outside of the business. All employees are made aware of our policies and the importance of adhering to them. We recognise that employee awareness is critical in identifying and addressing modern slavery risks. We therefore:

• Provide training through induction, e-learning and face-to-face sessions
• Deliver targeted training to managers and relevant stakeholders
• Promote awareness of risk indicators and escalation procedures

Employees and third parties are encouraged to raise concerns regarding potential modern slavery risks. All concerns are taken seriously and investigated appropriately. Reports can be made via:

• Line management
• The Whistleblowing Procedure
• HR Department

All employees are issued with guidance and copies of all policies for the business including whistleblowing. Lines of communication are available for confidential and anonymous reporting. Policies are available to all employees via our IT network and are discussed during the staff induction process.

Our Progress to Date

We have updated our Supplier Evaluation process for all new and existing supply chain partners, so each confirm their commitment to our business and ethical standards. We are training employees on Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) through the Sustainability School & IHASCO, which is completed online. We have reviewed numerous training material to further strengthen our due diligence checks for all new suppliers.

 

Actions Taken During the Reporting Period

During the financial year ending 31 March 2026, we have:

• Engaged and enrolled all employees on e-learning modules relating to FIR.
• Strengthened our checks when accepting potential suppliers to our chain.
• Continued to issue due diligence assessments and/or questionnaires to new suppliers, including communication regarding the company’s stance relating to Slavery and Human Trafficking and Child Labour.
• Improved communication channels within the company through the release of updates via our monthly newsletter and poster campaigns relating to Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.

 

Future Commitments

Looking ahead, we will continue to:

• Develop training to all managers and relevant stakeholders.
• We will continue to conduct annual risk assessments of our supply chain including any new partners and service providers. Policies and procedures will be updated and renewed when necessary.
• We aim to strengthen and improve the Business Partner Due Diligence. Furthermore, the Company will improve internal communication channels through the release of our updates via the company HR employee notice board, our company newsletter and Depot Manager monthly meetings.

Breaches of this Policy   

Should anyone believe or suspect a breach of this policy has occurred, or may occur, you must notify your line manager immediately or report it through the confidential means available to you.

Related Company Policy

HS01 – Health & Safety Policy

COMP03 – Ethical Sourcing

COMP07 – Business Partner Due Diligence

COMP10 – Slavery & Human Trafficking Policy

COMP11 – Whistleblowing COMP16 – Communication

COMP19 – Complaints HR02 – Equal Opportunity

HR09 – Recruitment and Induction HR13 – Social Value

This statement approved by:
Lee Scott

Chief Financial Officer