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A regulatory body formed by the UK government is expected to allay retailers’ worries about risks to their reputation resulting from the use of unregulated gang labour by suppliers.
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority, created on 1 April, will develop and operate a licensing scheme, set licensing conditions and maintain a register of licensed labour providers, often known as gangmasters, in the agriculture, shellfish and related processing and packaging industries.
Dan Rees, director of the Ethical Trading Initiative and chairman of the Temporary Labour Working Group, which represents food companies and trade unions, said the authority was ‘a critical step towards stamping out the exploitative working practices of some temporary labour providers’. The licensing regime is due to come into force next year. Some food companies, notably supermarket group Waitrose, are making their own policies on the use of gang labour. Waitrose is to look at developing ‘a robust system to monitor gangmaster labour’ and is working with the ETI on audit procedures for gangmasters.
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority, created on 1 April, will develop and operate a licensing scheme, set licensing conditions and maintain a register of licensed labour providers, often known as gangmasters, in the agriculture, shellfish and related processing and packaging industries.
Dan Rees, director of the Ethical Trading Initiative and chairman of the Temporary Labour Working Group, which represents food companies and trade unions, said the authority was ‘a critical step towards stamping out the exploitative working practices of some temporary labour providers’. The licensing regime is due to come into force next year. Some food companies, notably supermarket group Waitrose, are making their own policies on the use of gang labour. Waitrose is to look at developing ‘a robust system to monitor gangmaster labour’ and is working with the ETI on audit procedures for gangmasters.
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