The latest Obama Administration move to raise workforce standards and protections for federal contractor employees will tighten restrictions on reliance on human trafficking and forced labor. Contractors will be required to enforce compliance among subcontractors—a tough challenge in a global supply chain, attorneys say. The rules stem from 2012 and 2013 “zero tolerance” provisions, but final regs, published in late January, are set to take effect on March 2.
The rules, which apply to new and existing federal and military contracts and task orders with no size limits, bar contractors and subs “from charging employees recruitment fees or using misleading or fraudulent recruitment practices,” says a White House spokeswoman.