Gangmasters reforms welcomed by NFU and CLA

Forestry businesses and land agents will no longer need licences from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) to use temporary workers, according to proposals made today.

Agriculture Minister Jim Paice announced that the GLA is to focus on protecting the most vulnerable temporary workers from exploitation while freeing those in low-risk sectors such as forestry and land agency from gangmaster regulation.

Paice also promised the GLA would free up resources for inspectors to take swifter action and work more effectively with other agencies to tackle human trafficking cases.

The proposals have been backed by the CLA and the NFU with CLA President Harry Cotterell saying it was a victory for forestry and land agents.

"The CLA pressed the Government and made recommendations to the Forestry Regulation Task Force for forestry and land agents to be made exempt from gangmaster licensing because these sectors have a proven track record of providing good employment conditions for temporary workers" he said.

"We are very pleased the Government has acted positively and quickly taken on the suggestions of the Task Force. The removal of licensing requirements will enable forestry businesses to grow because this expensive and unnecessary regulatory burden will be gone."

NFU senior legal adviser James Potter said "The NFU has supported the GLA since its inception in 2004 to prevent the exploitation of workers by regulating gangmasters supplying workers. The proposed changes to the GLA come at a time of general review of employment law under the Red Tape Challenge and also take account of the experience that the GLA has accumulated since its formation in 2006."

"The NFU applauds the focus on the gross abuse of workers by rogue gangmasters committing multiple offences such as tax evasion, people trafficking and to eradicate the connections between the supply of workers and organised crime."

"The NFU also welcomes the proposal to explore alternatives to prosecution when taking enforcement action against a labour user who uses an unlicensed gangmaster and the move towards administrative fines and penalties for low level and technical offences. Other worthwhile reforms include simplifying the licence application process, extending the licence period to two years and de-regulating low risk activities such as apprenticeships."