Gangmaster worries after transfer

Unions have expressed concern over the transfer of the departmental oversight of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA).

The government has announced that the Home Office will take over responsibility from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in a move that could dilute the authority’s powers further and increase the exploitation of workers.

Construction workers' union UCATT has warned that the transfer is likely to divert the GLA’s focus from concentrating on labour exploitation to issues of law and immigration enforcement.

The union said that if this is seen to be occurring it will lose the trust it has developed in vulnerable communities. Vulnerable workers will be less likely to raise concerns about exploitation as they will fear that they could be incriminating themselves or fellow workers.

UCATT general secretary Steve Murphy said: “Rather than fiddling over which department has responsibility for the GLA, the government should be expanding its powers to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable workers.”

Diana Holland, assistant general secretary of the Unite general union, said: “The GLA has been hampered by this government. Last year, ministers ‘deregulated’ the legislation to ensure that first-time licence applicants escaped inspection. This was playing fast and loose with worker safety to save business the inconvenience of having to demonstrate it is law-abiding.

“This government is no friend of working people.”

www.ucatt.org.uk/gangmasters-authoritys-transfer-home-office-will-increase-exploitation

www.unitetheunion.org/news/gangmaster-authority-move-hollow-promise-from-government-warns-unite/