A Lincolnshire gangmaster has had his licence revoked after misleading the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) and breaching a variety of licensing standards, including illegal deductions and breaching minimum wage requirements.
Nuno Moitinho, the director of Soma Recruitment Ltd, has also been declared as “not fit and proper” to hold a GLA licence and, under the GLA standards introduced in April 2009, now faces a two-year ban from acting as a gangmaster.
When inspecting the business, GLA officers found Moitinho had claimed he did not provide accommodation to workers, when records showed he did.
Moitinho had also failed to declare a past conviction, had fallen into arrears with VAT payments, and transport deductions took workers’ pay below national minimum wage levels.
His accommodation charges were twice the level set for minimum wage workers and reduced wages below minimum wage levels while vehicles used to transport workers were not correctly insured.
Soma Recruitment Ltd did appeal against the GLA decision but its case was dismissed.
Mr J Blackwell, the person appointed to hear the appeal against the GLA decision, said: “This is an appeal with which I have little sympathy. The appellant’s explanations have, at times, been inconsistent and have been less than frank.”
Paul Whitehouse, chairman of the GLA, said: “The law is there to protect workers and to ensure business requirements are met. These are basic rules that the vast majority of gangmasters have no problem with.
“Those who break or bend the rules need to be dealt with to ensure that legitimate businesses do not suffer. We will no longer tolerate gangmasters whose licence is revoked and reapply - Mr Moitinho will have to wait at least two years before he can reapply, and then we shall look very carefully at him.”
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