Inspectorate and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority) dealing with everything from criminal activity to payroll errors. Creating a new offence of an aggravated breach of labour market legislation which will target those employers who deliberately, persistently and brazenly commit breaches of labour law, and fail to take remedial action. Being found guilty could lead to a custodial sentence. Increasing intelligence and data sharing between the existing enforcement bodies and also other bodies such as the National Crime Agency , police forces and local authorities to increase the targeting of enforcement. Widening the remit, increasing the powers and changing the name of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to enable it to deal with serious exploitation whether employed through an agency, gangmaster or direct employer. Trained staff will be able to use police-style powers so they can seek and use search warrants to secure crucial evidence.
CIPP comment There is a rather short time scale allocated to these consultations; however The Policy Team will dissect both documents and consult with members and other stakeholders if deemed necessary.
Campaign to tackle illegal working in construction industry 26 October 2015
A Home Office enforcement campaign has been launched to root out illegal working in the construction industry.
‘Operation Magnify’ will involve Home Office enforcement officers carrying out operations specifically to target those businesses in the sector which are employing and exploiting illegal migrant workers.
The Immigration Minister, James Brokenshire hosted a meeting with construction industry leaders about plans to end illegal working in the sector. He said that coming together with key employers and influencers in the construction industry is a chance to engage with those who are keen to maintain the integrity of the sector. Illegal working undermines legitimate employers, harms the reputation of the industry, drives down wages and denies employment to hard-working UK citizens and people who are working in the UK legally. Employers within the construction industry have a critical role to play in helping to combat this by ensuring they carry out the straightforward ‘Right to Work’ checks on potential employees that prevent illegal working in the UK. The roundtable event was an opportunity for those in the construction industry to share their experiences of illegal working in the sector, find out more about measures introduced by the government to tackle the problem, and discuss what more can be done. Those attending included representatives from construction companies working across the public and commercial sectors and industry bodies including the Construction Industry Council, the Chartered Institute of Building and Build UK.
Modern Slavery statutory guidance 10 November 2015
The Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires certain organisations to develop an annual statement each year, detailing what steps have been taken to ensure modern slavery is not taking place in their business or supply chains.
Statutory guidance relating to section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which requires the annual statement, has been published by the Home Office.
Any organisation in any part of a group structure will be required to comply with the provision and produce a statement if they:
are a body corporate or a partnership carry on a business, or part of a business, in the UK supply goods or services; and have an annual turnover of £36m or more.
The guidance Transparency in supply chains: a practical guide provides full details on:
CIPP Policy News Journal
25/04/2016, Page 111 of 453
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