Lincolnshire car wash owners handed 10-year slavery order

The owners of a Lincolnshire hand car wash have had tough restrictions imposed on them by court for the next decade.

Boston Magistrates’ Court approved the application from the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) for a Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order (STRO) against Said Ziane, 53, and Sarhad Salari, 33, at a hearing on Monday October 10.

The pair were suspected of employing workers with no right to work in the UK at the Spotless Car Wash on Bridge Road, Long Sutton.

Information obtained by the GLAA and partners also indicated that some of the workers at the hand car wash were being paid significantly less than the National Minimum Wage.

Ziane, of Little London, Long Sutton, and Salari, of Figtree Walk, Peterborough, must comply with the following restrictions for the next 10 years.

Both must not arrange or assist in helping anyone find employment who has no right to work in the UK.

They are also prevented from instructing or forcing anyone else to arrange or assist in arranging employment for workers with no right to work in the UK.

Ziane and Salari must not arrange either travel or transport to work for anyone other than immediate family members.

They are prohibited from arranging or coercing anyone to act on their behalf in relation to any of these restrictions.

The pair must pay their workers at least the National Minimum Wage and provide them with payslips.

The final restriction placed on Ziane and Salari means they must allow GLAA officers and anyone accompanying them access to their business premises at any reasonable time to check on the welfare of workers and compliance with the order.

Breaching the order is a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The application was supported by Lincolnshire Police, Lincolnshire Trading Standards and Immigration Enforcement.

GLAA Investigating Officer Dale Walker said: “This is the latest in a number of active Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders we have secured across Lincolnshire this year with our partners.

“STROs are civil orders that restrict the activities of individuals that present a real risk of committing a slavery or trafficking offence.

“We are committed to working with our partners to protect vulnerable workers from exploitation and these orders are just one of several valuable tools at our disposal that we use.

“With the order being granted for such a long period of time, we will be able to regularly monitor the activities of the two defendants to ensure that all the conditions are being fully complied with.”

Detective Superintendent Pete Grayson, Director of Intelligence at Lincolnshire Police, said: “In recent months we have worked closely with the GLAA and other partners in Lincolnshire to secure a number of Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders.

“This latest success is once again the culmination of a lot of hard work by all partners and we will continue to be pro-active in our efforts to tackle this criminality and protect the vulnerable.  

“The orders are vital for the protection of vulnerable workers who are at risk of exploitation.

“They act as a deterrent to criminal behaviour by imposing strict restrictions on those we suspect are at risk of committing slavery or trafficking offences.

“We will robustly police this latest order as we have with others and will not hesitate to take further action if we identify any breaches.”

Find out more about how to spot the signs of labour exploitation at hand car washes by listening to this GLAA podcast produced with the Responsible Car Wash Scheme.

If you have concerns that a car wash near you is exploiting its workers, contact the GLAA’s intelligence team by emailing intelligence@gla.gov.uk.

You can also download the Safe Car Wash app developed by the Clewer Initiative and report your concerns there.

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