GLA strips recruitment agency of licence over Punjabs’ forged passports
19 November 2013
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority is to revoke the licence of a Derby labour agency over several failings, including the use of forged passports enabling illegal immigrants to work.
Tue, 19 Nov 2013The Gangmasters Licensing Authority is to revoke the licence of a Derby labour agency over several failings, including the use of forged passports enabling illegal immigrants to work.
United Recruitment Service’s licence will be removed at midnight on 13 December, after managing director Chander Shekhar Guru’s appeal was dismissed Friday afternoon (15 November).
This means Guru and United have been able to continue trading for two years and two months since GLA inspectors found “serious irregularities” in an October 2011 inspection. The GLA has previously expressed frustration at the way non-compliant recruiters are able to “abuse” the appeals process.
Employment judge Peter Britton noted that of 79 workers on the books at the time of that inspection, only 15 were legally allowed to work, with a number coming from the Punjab region of India working on forged passports.
“United Recruitment Services was in the business of employing illegal immigrants wholesale,” the judge said.
The company’s accountant Irfan Younis, of Derby firm Paragon Accountants, was warned by the judge for his flippant attitude and being “evasive” in the dock, the GLA says. His evidence was dismissed by the judge.
Other failings including providing inaccurate information to inspectors, inadequate proof of tax, wages and holiday pay, and retrospectively making contracts appear compliant post-signature.
The GLA says that it has been successful in all five appeals against licence decisions heard this year.
United Recruitment Service’s licence will be removed at midnight on 13 December, after managing director Chander Shekhar Guru’s appeal was dismissed Friday afternoon (15 November).
This means Guru and United have been able to continue trading for two years and two months since GLA inspectors found “serious irregularities” in an October 2011 inspection. The GLA has previously expressed frustration at the way non-compliant recruiters are able to “abuse” the appeals process.
Employment judge Peter Britton noted that of 79 workers on the books at the time of that inspection, only 15 were legally allowed to work, with a number coming from the Punjab region of India working on forged passports.
“United Recruitment Services was in the business of employing illegal immigrants wholesale,” the judge said.
The company’s accountant Irfan Younis, of Derby firm Paragon Accountants, was warned by the judge for his flippant attitude and being “evasive” in the dock, the GLA says. His evidence was dismissed by the judge.
Other failings including providing inaccurate information to inspectors, inadequate proof of tax, wages and holiday pay, and retrospectively making contracts appear compliant post-signature.
The GLA says that it has been successful in all five appeals against licence decisions heard this year.
