Traditional gangmaster Fred Basset & Son has become the first in the UK to be licensed by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and hopes the new regulations will stamp out cowboy operators.
The firm supplies labour to vegetable preparation factories in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and is headed by Dennis Basset who started as a gangmaster in 1926 following in his father’s footsteps. He has since been joined in the business by his own son, Fred.
“Over the years I have seen many changes in the supply of labour from what used to be seasonal work and local labour to year-round business with a varied workforce that meets the demands for just-in-tie delivery,” said Dennis Basset.
Fred Basset added: “We are proud to receive the first licence from the GLA. We are hoping that licensing will rid the industry of the rogues who undercut the hard-working legitimate businesses like ourselves.”
Licensing is mandatory under the new scheme introduced this year to curb worker exploitation and the maximum penalty for operating a gangmaster business without a licence from October 1, 2006 will be a 10-year jail term and a fine. It will be an offence to use an unlicensed gangmaster from December 1, 2006.
“The companies that use the labour will be able to check the GLA public register to ensure their gangmasters are licensed,” said Paul Whitehouse, GLA chairman. “We are pleased that there are already so many labour providers who have already made an application for a licence. These are the ones who are eager to distance themselves from the rogues in the industry.”
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