Employers’ statements on cost of Gangmasters Act are untrue, UCATT says.

UCATT construction union argues that employers’ description of the proposed extension of the Gangmasters Licensing Act to construction as adding “a lot of cost for contractors” has no foundation.

The union has calculated that the licence costs would be less than £6,000 for a large firm and less than £3,000 for smaller firms – representing between a half and one per cent of annual turnover for these businesses.

Alan Ritchie, UCATT general secretary said: “Any increased costs to contractors for using respectable gangmasters would be miniscule. However, extending the Act to construction would force rogue operators who exploit workers out of business. The only increased costs would be that employers would not be able to save money by hiring exploited workers.”