With an influx of migrant workers, there has been increasing pressure for controls to become tighter. With the government introducing a point based system for all skilled migrants coming to the UK, and the creation of the Gangmaster Licensing authority in 2005, the focus is truly on the migrant market.
Figures obtained by the BBC revealed a total of 137 businesses were caught employing illegal immigrants in March and April, the two months after the immigration laws were enhanced (to include charges and prison sentences to those found employing illegal immigrants).
Amazingly this is higher than the figure for the whole of 2007 (ten times more in fact), and with £10,000 fine to the employer for every worker caught, the actual costs can spiral out of control. With this in mind, it is important that recruitment companies are making proper checks on the documentation they receive from migrants to ensure that their clients are safe from prosecution. Many consultancies are now registered with the Gangmaster Licensing Authority which is in place to provide assurance about the quality and treatment of migrant workers.
The treatment of migrant workers within the UK has also come into sharp focus; with real pressure placed upon businesses within the manufacturing sector. The messages from numerous reports is that currently, responsibility for training, development and ensuring ethically sound working conditions are passed from recruiter to client and back again, with no real clarity over who should take accountability.
The Gang Master Licensing committee made their first prosecution in April 2008, of a gangmaster acting without a license. Trading without proper identity checks and with no deductions for tax and national insurance the gangmaster had been refused a license but had continued to trade* With these stories beginning to hit the headlines, it highlights the inroads which are being made into combating the problems.
It is important to make sure that the actions you take are preventative and not reactionary. You can do this by ensuring you work with consultancies or agencies which can guarantee quality, legal workers for your business needs.
*Recruitment Consultant, May, 2008
