Partnership bulletin December 2023

REGULATION

Concerns over increased use of unlicensed recruitment agencies

The GLAA has witnessed an increase in online unlicensed recruitment agencies offering jobs in our regulated sectors of agriculture, horticulture, and food production in recent months.

Anyone with information about any of these companies or who can help us identify them should get in touch with us using the contact details at the bottom of this bulletin so our investigators can take action.

As a reminder, acting as a gangmaster without a GLAA licence is a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine.

It is also an offence to use labour provided by unlicensed gangmasters. This offence carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine.

 

Join our next Labour User/Labour Provider meeting

 

The GLAA will be holding its next Labour User/Labour Provider meeting early in the New Year.

Once a quarter, we invite partners to hear the latest labour market trends and developments and what the GLAA is doing to tackle non-compliance through its enforcement and regulatory activities.

The invite is open to anyone who would like to hear more about best practice in the regulated sector.

You could be a GLAA licence holder, supplying workers within our regulated sector. Or, you might be one of their clients – a labour user - who employs workers as part of your day-to-day business operations.

We also welcome those from connected trade associations and retailers as well as anyone else within the UK’s fresh produce supply chain.

If you are interested in joining future meetings, simply email us at communications@gla.gov.uk.

 

PREVENTION

Catch up on our joint care webinar

 

Earlier this month, the GLAA held a joint webinar with our fellow labour market enforcement bodies, HM Revenue and Customs’ National Minimum Wage team and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, on protecting workers’ rights in the care sector.

You can catch up with the webinar here. You will have to put your name and email address in to view the recording.

GLAA National Investigations Lead Martin Plimmer said: “Care is one of the GLAA’s current top priority sectors for identifying and tackling forced or compulsory labour.

“The GLAA has seen a significant increase in the information it has received relating to labour exploitation in the care sector over the last couple of years and has more than 30 ongoing investigations.

“Issues being investigated by the GLAA and partner agencies are complex and wide-ranging. They include, but are not limited to, charging for work-finding fees both in the UK and abroad, breaches of student visa schemes, cramped and unsuitable accommodation, and potential modern slavery offences such as debt bondage.”

  

ENFORCEMENT

During the last quarter (July, August, September), we:

• Identified 1,225 potential victims
• Made three arrests
• Issued six warning notices

The GLAA currently has 94 investigations, 45% of which have modern slavery indicators.

 

Referrals

The top 10 sectors for referrals were:

• Care – residential
• Car washing
• Other
• Agriculture – miscellaneous
• Agriculture – soft fruit
• Shellfish gathering
• Meat processing
• Food processing – other
• Food processing – poultry
• Agriculture - vegetables

 

NEWS

Slavery orders for care provider and car wash owners

The owners of a Leicestershire home care service provider and two Lincolnshire hand car washes have been handed Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders in recent months.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court approved an application from the GLAA for an interim order against Patience Oyeniran, 60, at a hearing on Wednesday November 22.

Oyeniran of Colby Road, Leicester, manages Panashe Home Care Services, providing domiciliary care to people living with physical health needs and conditions such as dementia.

The order was sought after a number of concerns were raised alleging the exploitation of overseas workers.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) cancelled Panashe’s registration in 2022 following an inspection which ranked the service as inadequate.

CQC inspectors found there were not enough staff to provide care that people required. Overseas staff were scheduled to provide unrealistic hours of care which meant inspectors were not always assured people were receiving the care and support they required.

Leicestershire County Council terminated its contract with Panashe and the company no longer provides care packages in the county.

UK Visas and Immigration also revoked Oyeniran’s licence to recruit workers from overseas.

However, further investigations involving the GLAA and Leicestershire Police have indicated Oyeniran may have links to other companies who supply workers in the care sector, potentially placing vulnerable workers at risk of exploitation.

This order followed an interim STRO being handed out against the owners of two Lincolnshire hand car washes the previous month.

Boston Magistrates’ Court approved the application from the GLAA for interim orders against Seiwan Mohammadi, 25, and Rebin Hayderi, 35, at a hearing on Monday October 23.

The pair own the Best Hand Car Wash on the A158 in Horncastle and the Spilsby Hand Car Wash on Ashby Road, Spilsby.

GLAA officers had conducted a multi-agency investigation with Lincolnshire Police and Immigration Enforcement.

Investigators found car wash workers with no right to work in the UK being paid below the National Minimum Wage and not in possession of written contracts.

 

Unlicensed gangmaster fined

A man who illegally supplied workers to two Scottish farms has been fined.

Dean Currie, 33, admitted charges of acting as an unlicensed gangmaster when he appeared before Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in October this year.

Currie, of Leven in Fife, was fined £400 plus a victim surcharge of £20 when he appeared before the same court on Wednesday December 6.

The offences occurred at potato farms in Fife in October 2021.

GLAA Senior Enforcement Investigator Fiona Panetta said: “We will not hesitate to use our enforcement powers to stop unregulated gangmasters deliberately flouting our regulations by using unlicensed labour. We would also remind labour users to conduct their due diligence to prevent themselves falling the wrong side of the law by entering into arrangements with unlicensed gangmasters.”

 

From everyone at the GLAA, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2024. Sadly, labour abuse will still be taking place over the festive period so we encourage you to remain vigilant and be aware of some of the common signs of workers being exploited for their labour.

You can report your concerns by contacting the GLAA’s intelligence team by email at intelligence@gla.gov.uk or by using the online reporting form.

Alternatively, call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Thank you for taking the time to read our bulletin. If you'd like to contribute content about your work in preventing/identifying labour abuse, you can email communications@gla.gov.uk.