Another gangmaster that supplies labour into the fresh produce industry has had its licence revoked by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA).

Suffolk labour provider Goose Recruit Ltd, which had customers in the parsnip sector, must stop trading with immediate effect in GLA licensed sectors, or risk prosecution.

Goose, which is located in Leiston, had its licence revoked (without immediate effect) on March 20 and, having failed to appeal in the allotted 20-day timeframe, has now formally had its licence removed. It is the second company to have its GLA licence revoked in the same town this year.

GLA officers found:

• accommodation charges that were unacceptably high

• no legal system to provide holiday pay

• excessive working hours and inadequate breaks between shifts

• no timesheet records

• no arrangements to identify responsibility for health and safety training

• no evidence of training being provided to workers

• involvement of a director of Vilnius Recruitment, who had its license revoked in January

GLA chairman Paul Whitehouse said: “There is no hiding place for rogue gangmasters. We will hunt them down.

“The GLA is intent on cracking down on illegal practices in every bid to protect workers from exploitation.”

There are now 1,188 gangmasters licensed by the GLA to operate legally in the UK, while the authority has uncovered worker exploitation and illegal activity that has led to the revocation of 53 licences to date.

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