Roberto Mac revocation resulted from seven licence breaches

A Cambridgeshire business had its licence revoked after an inspection uncovered a string of issues with its operations that exposed workers to possible exploitation, the GLA has revealed.

Roberto Mac Ltd, of High Street, March, was one of two companies visited during a series of dawn raids in October last year.

The company’s licence was immediately suspended, preventing the business from trading, and was subsequently revoked on 9 January 2014.

Last week the police informed company director Robert Divkovic that their enquiries had concluded and he would face no criminal charges.

However, the GLA’s revocation decision is separate from the police investigation and remains firmly in place.

In spite of this fact, Mr Divkovic has contacted a number of local media outlets in Cambridgeshire claiming he has been ‘cleared’ and complaining about his treatment at the hands of the police and the GLA. The GLA has decided to clarify the position regarding Roberto Mac Ltd with the following statement:

Roberto Mac Ltd, was visited and the licence suspended because a number of serious issues had been identified.

On the day of the operation, more than 80 individuals were given assistance by Fenland District Council, the Red Cross and Salvation Army in finding alternative accommodation and work.

The licence of the other company to be visited, Slender Contracting Ltd, also of March, was suspended on the day and later revoked with immediate effect.

After the operation, the GLA reviewed in detail how Roberto Mac’s workers were treated and checked if the company was compliant with its licensing standards. Seven separate breaches were identified and the licence was revoked with immediate effect.

Roberto Mac Ltd’s seven breaches of Licensing Standards – five of them critical – produced a total of 166 points. A licence may be revoked once any total greater than or equal to 30 points has been recorded.

The GLA Licensing Standards failed by Roberto Mac Ltd were that:

• The named Principal Authority on the licence, Mr Divkovic, had not acted in a fit and proper manner
• The company failed to pay its workers the National Minimum Wage
• The company did not provide accurate payslips showing deductions from workers’ pay
• Accommodation provided by the company for workers was unsafe
• The company failed to provide workers with requisite personal protective equipment (PPE) for safety at work
• Transported for workers provided by the company took place in unsafe vehicles driven by an individual whose alcohol levels were in excess of the legal drink drive limit
• The company used an unlicensed sub-contractor Roberto Mac Ltd is entitled to appeal the GLA’s decision and Mr Divkovic has indicated that he would like to pursue this course of action.

ENDS

Press release issued by GLA Communications and Information Officer Paul Fearn. For more information contact 0115 959 7069 or email communications@gla.gsi.gov.uk.

Notes to editors

1. The GLA operates throughout the UK and is a Non Departmental Public Body.

2. The authority was formed in 2005 in the wake of the Morecambe Bay cockle picking disaster when 23 Chinese workers drowned on the sands.

3. The GLA licences companies that supply labour (gangmasters) to agriculture, horticulture, food processing and packaging and shellfish gathering.

4. Its main strategic priorities are to prevent worker exploitation, protect vulnerable people and tackle unlicensed and criminal activity.

5. Under the Gangmasters Licensing Act (2004) it is illegal both to operate as, or employ the services of, an unlicensed gangmaster.

6. In an inspection, all non-compliances are ‘totted up’ in a process similar to that for driving licence disqualification. Critical breaches score 30 points, and other breaches score 8 points. Revocation occurs at a total equal to or greater than 30 points.

www.gla.defra.gov.uk