6 - Provide remedies – According to UNGPs, enabling access to remedy is not optional. Companies should ensure effective remedial measures for harms – including wage theft, that business has caused or contributed to by its activities. Businesses should establish a wage-guarantee system and wage-fund. In cases of wage theft – workers should be remunerated immediately from the wage-fund. - Support workers in supply chain – Companies should take urgent actions to assess risks in its supply chains and provide mitigation measures to avoid unintended consequences to workers. Companies should ensure that there are no cash flow issues that will affect payment of wages to workers in the supply chain. - Compensate furloughed workers in accordance with relevant laws, regulations and contract – Retention of workers should be prioritised against lay-off. Companies should consider the development of a job protection plan to assess all available options for retention of workers. Where furlough is inevitable, companies should take all measures to ensure workers are compensated in accordance with relevant laws, regulations and agreements to mitigate any negative impacts on workers. - Adopt anti-retaliation and human rights policies – Developing human rights policies helps businesses to manage human rights risks better. In this crisis businesses should take the leadership role to enhance worker protection. Businesses should adopt anti-retaliation and whistle-blower protection policies to ensure migrant workers using complaints mechanism can do so without fear of penalty, dismissal or reprisal. Guide on Developing Human Rights Policy can be accessed – here - Ensure freedom of association for all workers including migrant workers – Industrial relations processes involving management and trade unions serve as a form of operational-level grievance mechanism. It is therefore crucial to ensure freedom of association to build support for company led complaints and redressal mechanisms. Where it might not be legally possible to establish trade unions, companies should permit and promote independent worker committees. - Promote cooperation and collaboration – Stakeholder consultation is key to understanding and resolving issues of wage theft and other labour issues. Companies should collaborate with governments, trade associations, stakeholder groups including workers and civil society organisation to better address issues arising out of the COVID-19 crisis. Businesses should call upon states to establish effective wage-protection systems, to extend safety nets to cover migrant workers and support stronger legislations to protect migrant workers.