Leading retailers claim they have nothing to fear after the new ‘gangmaster tzar’ this week threatened to name and shame supermarkets found stocking food prepared by illegal labour.
Paul Whitehouse, the former Chief Constable of Sussex Police who will chair the new gangmasters licensing authority when it starts operating on April 1, said that supermarkets could be prosecuted for aiding and abetting the use of illegal labour.
He added: “I’m a great believer in people I deal with knowing I have a big stick, but
that I may not need to get it out.
“Supermarkets have it in their own interests - they do not want to be on the front pages with headlines suggesting they use slave labour.”
However, Tesco and Sainsbury insisted they had no worries about operating under the new authority, which has been set up in the wake of the Chinese cockle pickers tragedy at Morecambe Bay.
A spokewoman for Sainsbury said: “All our suppliers have to adhere to a code of conduct. We do not believe we will be named and shamed.”
A Tesco spokeswoman said: “We welcome the arrival of this organisation and have been involved in its set up. It is an issue which needs resolving.”
Asda said: “Illegal gangmaster activities will not be tolerated by Asda. “We offer Every Day Low Prices to our customers, but not at any price.”