>>Solutions to illegal gang labour - zad padda, head of operations, fusion personnel
Last week the press delivered another barrage of stories about the gangmaster issue after the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee published its findings. The media focused on two themes: inadequate support from the government to help solve the problem, and the role of the major retailers.
As a gangmaster I should like to explain that the term refers to someone who supplies casual labour to the agricultural and horticultural industries, including the food processing and packing industries. However, it is also used to describe a wide range of businesses. Some self-styled
gangmasters have high street offices and supply casual labour to other businesses, such as factories and warehouses. Others operate on a less formal basis, relying on personal connections and word-of-mouth. Contrary to popular myth, not all gangmasters are engaged in illegal activity.
My own position is unique as my father has been a gangmaster for 20 years and after university I held a position as operations manager in a major retail pre-packer business. I developed Fusion Personnel to try to rebrand the concept of gangmaster labour provision.
The report clearly demonstrates that there is mass abuse of workers within the food
and drink sector, and an important first step would be to provide an infrastructure to help increase worker welfare and provide improved and accessible training.
The report identifies that more needs to be done to promote consumer awareness of the issues related to gang labour and to identify suppliers and supermarkets which enforce ethical employment practices. In specific terms, the report goes on to criticise Operation Gangmaster, which was established five years ago as the government’s co-ordinated response to illegal activity by gangmasters.
Some of this criticism ignores the excellent work being done at ground level with limited resources. DEFRA recently committed staff to my own company to support work on a Code of Practice for gangmasters, which will be based on practical operational experience. However, I find it disappointing that the DTI has singularly declined the offer to participate.
Critics who claim the industry is doing little to improve the situation are wrong. The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is supporting work by the industry, and its members include the major retailers, trade unions and NGOs such as Christian Aid. There is almost a unanimous view that statutory registration is needed.
I have also had the opportunity to see excellent work done by major retailers in this area and find some of the committee’s criticism of supermarkets unfair. However, it will be interesting to see how these major organisations view their continuing role in solving these problems.
One project identified by the select committee is the Gateway Centre in Birmingham, designed to provide a specialist advice and training centre for workers. It could also serve as a formal clearing house for rural workers and gangmaster labour. Gateway has the support of DEFRA, the Regional Development Agency, Learning & Skills Council and Birmingham City Council and is a model that can be replicated in parts of the country with similar problems.
However, I believe the gangmaster issue is part of a much wider policy debate which embraces the whole issue of migrant workers in the UK. And that incorporates a range of policy initiatives and government departments, including health and education. Until the government looks at this issue as a whole, it will be firefighting for ever.
Last week the press delivered another barrage of stories about the gangmaster issue after the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee published its findings. The media focused on two themes: inadequate support from the government to help solve the problem, and the role of the major retailers.
As a gangmaster I should like to explain that the term refers to someone who supplies casual labour to the agricultural and horticultural industries, including the food processing and packing industries. However, it is also used to describe a wide range of businesses. Some self-styled
gangmasters have high street offices and supply casual labour to other businesses, such as factories and warehouses. Others operate on a less formal basis, relying on personal connections and word-of-mouth. Contrary to popular myth, not all gangmasters are engaged in illegal activity.
My own position is unique as my father has been a gangmaster for 20 years and after university I held a position as operations manager in a major retail pre-packer business. I developed Fusion Personnel to try to rebrand the concept of gangmaster labour provision.
The report clearly demonstrates that there is mass abuse of workers within the food
and drink sector, and an important first step would be to provide an infrastructure to help increase worker welfare and provide improved and accessible training.
The report identifies that more needs to be done to promote consumer awareness of the issues related to gang labour and to identify suppliers and supermarkets which enforce ethical employment practices. In specific terms, the report goes on to criticise Operation Gangmaster, which was established five years ago as the government’s co-ordinated response to illegal activity by gangmasters.
Some of this criticism ignores the excellent work being done at ground level with limited resources. DEFRA recently committed staff to my own company to support work on a Code of Practice for gangmasters, which will be based on practical operational experience. However, I find it disappointing that the DTI has singularly declined the offer to participate.
Critics who claim the industry is doing little to improve the situation are wrong. The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is supporting work by the industry, and its members include the major retailers, trade unions and NGOs such as Christian Aid. There is almost a unanimous view that statutory registration is needed.
I have also had the opportunity to see excellent work done by major retailers in this area and find some of the committee’s criticism of supermarkets unfair. However, it will be interesting to see how these major organisations view their continuing role in solving these problems.
One project identified by the select committee is the Gateway Centre in Birmingham, designed to provide a specialist advice and training centre for workers. It could also serve as a formal clearing house for rural workers and gangmaster labour. Gateway has the support of DEFRA, the Regional Development Agency, Learning & Skills Council and Birmingham City Council and is a model that can be replicated in parts of the country with similar problems.
However, I believe the gangmaster issue is part of a much wider policy debate which embraces the whole issue of migrant workers in the UK. And that incorporates a range of policy initiatives and government departments, including health and education. Until the government looks at this issue as a whole, it will be firefighting for ever.
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