There are many ways to tackle the high profile issue of gangmaster abuse of the UK’s temporary workforce. The fresh produce industry is often placed in the firing line of the national media, but it can justifiably be argued that this industry has done as much to put its house in order as any.
Of course, producers, packhouses and the rest can only improve their compliance with statutory guidelines if the gangmasters - or labour providers as they now, quite understandably wish to be known - are able to adapt to a new working environment with them.
Eight years since opening its first office in Leicester, PMP is a £30 million labour providing agency. It now has branches in Peterborough, Northampton, Luton, Hitchin and Scunthorpe, as well as its original site. The company also operates various site-based offices, such as the one it runs for Del Monte in Wisbech. “We predominantly work in the food industry,” says PMP’s David Stott, “and once you have put all the work into something, as we have done to reach the standards we have in the food industry, it is relatively easy to go and work with another food company.
“There are undoubtedly companies out there that are doing things illegally. The best thing that can come out of the licensing work is that it stops the exploitation of vulnerable people. At the moment, even if you cannot work legally in this country, you will find someone to give you a job,” he says.
“We are already above and beyond anything that will be detailed in the Gangmaster bill. Some 18 months ago, the government got together with the major retailers and labour users in general and formed the Temporary Labour Working Group (TLWG). PMP Recruitment were one of the six original labour providers who trialled the TLWG Code of Practice for labour providers to the agriculture and fresh produce industry and from our point of view that has proved a real bonus. We have had an insight that has allowed us to put a lot of things in place that are best practice within the industry. We obviously had all the basic due diligence in place, but we have implemented a number of measures related to ethical practices and the correct treatment of labour and looked at all aspects of recruitment and the correct and incorrect use of people.”
PMP Recruitment is also an executive committee member of the association of Labour Providers and represents the labour provider industry on the board of the Gangmaster Licensing Authority. Stott says PMP was among the first five labour providers to be audited in the UK and that unofficial feedback put the company at the top of the tree.
Del Monte’s Martin Ive is responsible for ensuring the company’s legal compliance with ethical trading issues is upheld, and staying in line with the new demands of the Gangmaster Licensing Act. Covering eight Del Monte sites and 2,000 employees (temporary and full-time) around the UK, it is a mammoth task. With a number of high profile customers, some of which Del Monte is sole supplier to, mistakes are out of the question.
However, through the forging of relationships with agencies such as PMP, progress has been swift. “We are not holding ourselves up as a beacon of light,” says Ive. “But we do feel we are moving in the right direction.”
A systematic approach to the relationship with PMP has been beneficial to both parties, leaving no stone unturned in the attempt to snuff out the potential for error. “There is a very robust service agreement in place, which clearly stipulates the areas of responsibility and accountability for both parties. I wrote this against the now approved code of practice,” says Ive. “To support the external audit programme, we also audit PMP on both a random and annual basis, to monitor its compliance with the code of practice. In addition to that, we can randomly audit five or six members of the PMP workforce on any given day, to check compliance with health & safety regulations, the Asylum & Immigration Act etc. PMP and ourselves have attended joint GLA training sessions - there has been a concerted effort to go through this process together.”
PMP, on its part, has a 24/7 presence at the Wisbech facility, with a full-time contract manager on site, and a site supervisor to oversee its team of supervisors, which includes people able to converse in a variety of foreign languages. Not only does this give peace of mind to Del Monte, it also ensures the workforce has support at all times and is never isolated.
One of the keys to the success of the Wisbech operation is continuity, and PMP attempts, as far as possible, to maintain a consistent workforce. “If we can have the same 100 people in tomorrow as yesterday, we will. We continuously monitor every worker very closely, which assures Del Monte of the quality and productivity levels of the staff we provide. We have become an extension to the site, and as well as providing labour, we have also been able to contribute to the health & safety, first aid and training needs of the site.”
Around 20 per cent of the workers live in Wisbech and its environs - the remainder are bussed in each day. With 3,000 people registered in nearby Peterborough, the site is not likely to be short of options. And, because of the emphasis on continuity, PMP and its workers have, in time, become recognised and accepted members of the team alongside the full-time staff. Indeed, there is a temporary-to-permanent agreement in place that sees workers, where relevant, given the opportunity to become full-time Del Monte employees after 12 weeks of continuous service. “Of course they all need to meet certain criteria, but this is a genuine attempt to gain our temporary workers gainful full-time positions,” says Stott. “This is a good sales pitch for PMP.”
There is a standard induction process for all workers arriving at the site for the first time, jointly administered by Del Monte and PMP. Some of the training is delivered on-site and some off-site by PMP, but it is all aimed in the same direction. Stott says that common sense is integral to everything they do. “My advice is not to overcomplicate things,” he says. “It’s not rocket science,” agrees Ive. “We don’t treat temporary labour any differently from full-time staff and by doing that, we cannot fall foul of the code of practice. However, we think that the risk rises slightly with temporary workers due to lack of familiarity with the site when they first work here, so the induction process is extremely thorough.”
Under the service level agreement, on the issue of health & safety, PMP provides transport to the site - it has a fleet of coaches and mini-buses - and until they get off that transport, the workers are PMP’s responsibility entirely. Once they are transferred into the Del Monte buildings, that health & safety responsibility switches hands.
There is an agreement also that PMP will not bring any sub-contracted workers to the site and in an industry where demands for labour can fluctuate enormously, the fact that the labour provider can call on a large bank of personnel is a big benefit.
This is seen as nothing more than due diligence in 2005, but it is undeniably a far cry from practices that some in the industry have followed in the past. Del Monte is obviously impressed, and is looking to a possible roll-out of similar relationships across its eight sites. “We’re not looking for just one labour provider - but three or four,” says Ive. “We are trying to reduce the risk to Del Monte, and by using best practices and as few labour providers as possible, we will do that.
“The partnership works and there is an acknowledgement on our part that there is a cost to that. The introduction of the GLA will raise standards, as well as increasing costs, but the important thing is that the workers will benefit,” he says.
Stott says: “The will to do things properly is greater than it ever has been and Del Monte is a good example of that. The time involved in implementing and following the process through has been well worth it, as we now have a good working relationship and a workforce that enjoys working at Del Monte and very much feels a part of the company.
“We are still learning, and every time we are audited I’m sure there will be new recommendations on how we can improve things. But we are extremely comforted by the progress we have made to date and feel we have a solid base to further develop our service levels in the next 18 months.”
Ive adds: “Being realistic, there are no guarantees in this game, but we have to ensure we demonstrate due diligence. We know what the problems with immigration are, but we have to do everything that we can in our businesses.”
