The government has received scathing criticism over its proposals to slash regulation of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, which protects the rights of labourers in work gangs. The government said it wanted to take a more “voluntary approach” following complaints from farmers about the administrative and regulatory burdens imposed by the GLA during information gathering for its ‘Red Tape Challenge.’  

The coalition government, which has already sacrificed the Agricultural Wages Board and the Commission for Rural communities as part of its Bonfire of the Quangoes, has been accused of serving the interests of big businesses and influential industries over the safety and wellbeing of those in the countryside.

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Statistically, the farming industry is the most dangerous in the UK, accounting for a fifth of all work-related fatalities despite employing only around one per cent of the population. Since it was set up in 2004, following the tragic death of 23 cockle pickers at Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, the GLA has uncovered numerous abuses and policed work gangs to ensure labourers are treated fairly.

In 2011, the GLA uncovered 845 cases exploitation in the food and farming sector in Britain; it has a high rate of success, having identified incidences of abuse in nearly 90 per cent of its investigations, suggesting the problem of worker exploitation in the food and farming sector is endemic.

Amongst those its investigation was the case of 19 dairy farmers, including then NFU vice president Gwyn Jones, who were charged with employing labourers supplied by an unlicensed gangmaster. The case against the 19 is ongoing.

Although Defra said the government remains committed to combating exploitative practices, the Public and Commercial Services Union described Defra branding the GLA remit ‘red tape’  as “distasteful.”

Widespread criticism of government plans

Guardian writer Felicity Lawrence slammed the government’s proximity to commercial interests in forming policy and the lack of consultation on the recommendations of the Farming Regulation Taskforce, which was set up in 2010 to examine how ‘red tape’ could be cut in the farming industry.

Ms Lawrence said, “The taskforce was drawn almost entirely from the farming industry or people with vested interests in it and chaired by Richard Macdonald, the recently retired director general of the National Farmers Union. There was no one on it representing workers, or the wider environment. No one to remind them as they considered their bonfire of rules designed to protect the rural environment and the safety of those working in it that this sector has the worst workplace death and injury rates of any, including those often considered more dangerous: mining and construction.”

At the NFU conference in February, Margaret McKinlay, Chair of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, said the GLA was looking into different approaches, including a ‘softer’ approach; she said there had been discussion over whether imposing fines on farmers found to be using unlicensed gangmasters would be more mutually beneficial than pursuing lengthy criminal prosecutions. She also revealed ‘lighter touch’ regulations, eliminating initial visits and taking previous good character into account were some of the methods the GLA is looking at as possible ways of improving its service.

Nevertheless, Shadow Business Minister, Ian Murray condemned the decision. Speaking in Parliament earlier in the week he said, “This is not about counting paper clips but saving lives, preventing exploitation, promoting clean supply chains, exposing organised criminal activity and undermining human trafficking – there could be no greater cause. The GLA is especially important in difficult economic times, when labour supply exceeds demand and the pressures on work increase.”

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