Report accuses agencies of keeping slavery alive
30 August 2012
Recruitment agencies have played a part in keeping slavery alive in modern Britain, according to a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The report said: "Modern slavery exists in the UK
The report said: "Modern slavery exists in the UK
Recruitment agencies have played a part in keeping slavery alive in modern Britain, according to a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The report said: "Modern slavery exists in the UK in various forms. All exhibit the common elements of the exploitative relationship which have always constituted slavery: severe economic exploitation, the absence of a framework of human rights, and control of one person over another by the prospect or reality of violence."
The report gives an example of a Latvian woman who came to London. She was recruited by an employment agency and paid them £100. They moved her to Hull, taking her passport, ostensibly to send to the Home Office for registration. After four months, she had not received it back. She felt unable to leave the agency. She regularly worked 16-hour shifts in factories, under threat of losing her job and accommodation if she refused.
The Foundation calls for a "more robust stance" against the exploiters. Last year, the Gangmasters Licensing Act was introduced following the cocklepickers' tragedy of 2004. One of the report's authors, Professor Gary Craig, told Recruiter: "We need more effective enforcement of legislation. The number of staff enforcing the GLA is laughable."
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation pledged its support for implementing the key recommendations in the report.
The REC said it also wanted to make a clear distinction between rogue gangmasters and legitimate employment agencies that abide by industry regulations.
REC director of external relations Tom Hadley said: "The report highlights the need for employers to be discerning when choosing which labour providers they use."
The report said: "Modern slavery exists in the UK in various forms. All exhibit the common elements of the exploitative relationship which have always constituted slavery: severe economic exploitation, the absence of a framework of human rights, and control of one person over another by the prospect or reality of violence."
The report gives an example of a Latvian woman who came to London. She was recruited by an employment agency and paid them £100. They moved her to Hull, taking her passport, ostensibly to send to the Home Office for registration. After four months, she had not received it back. She felt unable to leave the agency. She regularly worked 16-hour shifts in factories, under threat of losing her job and accommodation if she refused.
The Foundation calls for a "more robust stance" against the exploiters. Last year, the Gangmasters Licensing Act was introduced following the cocklepickers' tragedy of 2004. One of the report's authors, Professor Gary Craig, told Recruiter: "We need more effective enforcement of legislation. The number of staff enforcing the GLA is laughable."
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation pledged its support for implementing the key recommendations in the report.
The REC said it also wanted to make a clear distinction between rogue gangmasters and legitimate employment agencies that abide by industry regulations.
REC director of external relations Tom Hadley said: "The report highlights the need for employers to be discerning when choosing which labour providers they use."
