英國要求企業善盡人權責任之分析──國家行動計畫、現代奴役法及環境法

Analyses of the UK’s Requests of Corporations’Human Rights Obligations—National Action Plan, Modern Slave Act and Environment Act

英國是全世界第一個擬定商業與人權國家行動計畫之國家，但是英國國家行動計畫只著重政府對商業之期待，而非直接聲明企業尊重人權之責任。英國並不贊成草擬商業與人權條約，比較偏向以自願途徑實踐商業與人權。
英國最主要有兩部立法實踐商業與人權，分別為2015年現代奴役法及2021年環境法。而此兩部主要立法強調勞動權及環境保護，只關注人權的一部份。對於企業而言，現代奴役法最主要科以企業兩項義務，包括企業之刑事責任及企業之聲明義務。原則上現代奴役法對於企業之強制規定是相當軟性的，因而亦有提倡應該建立企業之損害賠償機制及禁止交易機制。英國政府希望制定一套領先世界的新法，以保護熱帶雨林及打擊非法砍伐森林。因而環境法在附表17規定企業人權責任，要求企業在其英國商業活動中不得使用「森林風險商品」或衍生自「森林風險商品」的產品。不過其保護方式是間接的，即期待以不使用森林風險商品，達到對森林之保育，而非直接規定應對森林保護。因而論者呼籲應要求所有公司需要進行「人權及環境盡職調查」以防止侵害行為的發生，且若違反規定應被追究責任。

The UK is the first state to adopt business and human rights national action plan. However, the UK’s national action plan focuses on government’s expectation of corporations, but does not directly declare corporations’human rights responsibilities. The UK does not support drafting business and human rights treaty, and prefer voluntary approach of implementing business and human rights.
The UK’s two major laws implementing business and human rights are the Modern Slave Act and the Environment Act. These two acts focus on labor rights and environmental protections that are only parts of human rights. The Modern Slave Act imposes two obligations on corporations including their criminal and declaratory duties. Because of their soft approach some urge to establish mechanisms of compensation and limitation of trade. As the UK government wishes to act a world leading law to protect rain forests, Schedule 17 of the Environment Act rules corporations’human rights obligations. Corporations are requested not to use deforestation-linked products. It is however an indirect approach of protection of forests, and comments urge to conduct environmental due diligence investigations to ask corporations’duties.