NFU welcomes government action to control gangmasters

The NFU has welcomed a Government announcement that the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) will apply to all labour providers supplying permanent, temporary and contract labour to businesses in the agriculture, horticulture, food packaging and processing industries.

The announcement paves the way for the GLA to begin licensing labour providers from Thursday April 6 2006.

NFU Board of Horticulture Chairman Richard Hirst said: “The NFU was one of the key members of the coalition that pressed for the Gangmaster Licensing Act and the establishment of the authority. The announcement by the Government is a culmination of that effort.

“Growers are ready to take their responsibility to ensure that labour used within their businesses is not exploited and the licensing of gangmasters is key to achieving that.”

The NFU believes it is now important for the GLA to communicate effectively with labour providers, labour users and the rest of the supply chain to ensure they are aware that this new system is operating. Labour users should be given a clear understanding of how to check that labour providers are licensed.