Retailers and trade and farm leaders have joined forces to urge the government to end uncertainty over the gangmaster act this week.
Food retailers including Asda, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose all signed an open letter sent to the Prime Minister on Sunday - the second anniversary of the Morecambe Bay tragedy in which 23 Chinese cockle pickers died.
Dan Rees, Director of the Ethical Trading Initiative, which has been leading the campaign calling on the government for urgent and comprehensive implementation of the gangmasters licensing act, said he is “delighted and heartened” by the widespread support the call has received from the food industry.
The Fresh Produce Consortium, the Association of Labour Providers, the National Farmers’ Union, Geest, Mack, the TUC, the GMB trade union and the T&G WU were all among the signatories.
“The protracted uncertainty over which businesses will be covered by the act is threatening the effectiveness of the legislation and risks causing significant delay,” the letter stated. “If this is to be avoided, important decisions must be made by government this week…
“We urge you to make it clear to all departments that your government’s policy with regard to this act is unambiguous.”
The letter stressed the importance of keeping to the timetable for issuing licences and made clear that exclusions should be kept to a minimum and that food-processing must not be removed from the scope of the act.
Defra is set to announce the government’s decision on which parts of the food industry will be excluded from the gangmasters licensing act this month. As long as the details of the act are finalized this week, labour providers should be able to apply for a licence to operate in April prior to obligatory licensing by the autumn.
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