A Scottish gangmaster who paid her potato graders a salary below the National Minimum Wage was found to be acting as a front for another person who was not named on the licence.

Lorna McConaghy of Glenrothes, the named Principal Authority on the licence, was found to be not in control of her business and was acting on behalf of a person who is an undischarged bankrupt.

A licence-holder is fully responsible for the welfare of the workers and any principal authority is deemed as “deceiving the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) if they do not have full control and therefore the ability to protect the workers,” the authority said in a statement.

The workers were receiving £42 per day for a 7hr 45-minute shift, meaning they were only paid £5.41 per hour, which is under the National Minimum Wage of £5.73 per hour.

The GLA have declared McConaghy not a fit and proper person to hold a GLA licence due to the deception involved.

Paul Whitehouse, chairman of the GLA said: “Everybody has a right to minimum employment standards; we will continue to make sure everybody gets the protection they deserve.

“We take deception very seriously. If we have been lied to about who controls the business there is a chance that other lies have been told as well.”

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