Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA)

Vacancy – Senior Licensing Officer – full-time position. Do you want to ensure workers in the UK are treated fairly, properly and are protected from abuse and exploitation? Come and join our Licensing team and join our mission stop worker exploitation. Find out more about this role on Civil Service Jobs: https://bit.ly/3XBUQxG #Vacancies #Jobs #Hiring

Vacancy - Contact Assistant Do you want to join us and ensure workers in the UK are treated fairly, properly and are protected from abuse and exploitation? Come and join our Operations Directorate and join our mission to stop worker exploitation. Find our more about this role on Civil Service Jobs: https://bit.ly/4iz16hL #Jobs #vacancies #vacancy #Finance

Vacancy – Senior Enforcement Investigator (LAPO) – full-time position - covering the South East Do you want to ensure workers in the UK are treated fairly, properly and are protected from abuse and exploitation? Come and join our National Investigations team and join our mission stop worker exploitation. Find out more about this role on Civil Service Jobs: https://bit.ly/41D1bLH #Vacancies #Jobs #Hiring

Women are subjected to forced labour, modern slavery and exploitation, and it is a crime often hidden in plain sight. The GLAA is committed to identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery. We will continue to build prosecution cases against offenders in our pursuit to reduce serious and organised crime. Each year on the 8 March, International Women’s Day is celebrated. This year the GLAA is celebrating some of the amazing women who have shown enormous resilience, triumphing over adversity, and standing up to their exploiters by reporting them to us. The names of the women have been changed to protect their identity. Our third woman who came forward and reported her experience to the GLAA is Juliet, who alongside a group of other women, reported how they were being exploited and agreed to enter the National Referral Mechanism, a framework for identifying and referring potential victims of modern slavery to ensure they receive the appropriate support. Nearly 1.6 million people work in the care sector, and in 2023, the UK was short around 150,000 workers. There are almost 17,000 care homes supporting more than 430,000 people, with a further 951,800 people receiving domiciliary care. The GLAA has the power to investigate reports of worker exploitation, forced labour and illegal labour provision, as well as offences under the National Minimum Wage and Employment Agencies Acts. We work closely to enhance international law enforcement and judicial co-operation through our continued work alongside other agencies to target, dismantle and disrupt serious and organised crime. Juliet said: “The GLAA came to visit us after receiving information that we were being treated poorly. There were 15 of us being treated very badly by the company we were working for. “We were living in an overcrowded house that was full of mould, and we were pressured to work long hours. If we complained, we were given more hours to work and threatened with deportation. It was an awful situation to be in.” Juliet and nine other people were being housed by their exploiter, and the GLAA supported them by safeguarding them. They agreed to enter the NRM, where they were able to access safe housing and financial support, amongst other support. Through Justice and Care the GLAA Victim Navigator was able to support the nine people including Juliet, into finding a new sponsorship and find a new home. Juliet said: “I can’t thank the GLAA enough for their efforts. I feel so happy. As a woman it is scary to stand up for your rights, but this experience has shown me that by taking action, we can break down systematic barriers.” Visit our website to read Genna and Lisette's stories: https://bit.ly/43EhTf5 If you know of a business operating outside the law, exploiting workers, then you can call 0800 432 0804 or email us at contact@gla.gov.uk. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD #Care #LabourExploitation

In recognition of International Women's Day this year, we are celebrating some of the amazing women we have met. We are sharing the stories of three women who have shown resilience, triumphing over adversity, and standing up to their exploiters by reporting them to us. The names of the women have been changed to protect their identity. The GLAA work hard to ensure that workers understand their rights so they do not find themselves in situations that may leave them open to exploitation. Unfortunately, for some women, they are exploited before they enter the UK. Our second woman to share her story, Lisette, talks about her experience, and how she came to the GLAA and accelerated action. Lisette’s father had paid around £28,000 to an agent who had said there was a position working Monday to Friday 9am until 5pm at a care home in the UK. She agreed to the position and arranged to come to the UK with her husband and two small children. The working hours meant that her husband would be able to work night shifts elsewhere. She said: “When I arrived in the UK, the hours I was assured where not available. Instead of working 37 hours a week, I was working 12 to 15 hours per week. My hours were sporadic, so some days I had one hour in the morning, one hour in the afternoon and one hour in the evening. It made it impossible for my husband to work, as there was no consistency in my shift patterns. After paying bills, we had just £100 per month left to feed myself, my husband and two children. It was awful.” When she addressed this with the company, she was told that the reason her family is here is because of the sponsorship that they have offered her, therefore her family must work around the hours given. She was also threatened with deportation if she complained. Read more of Lisette's experience on our website: https://lnkd.in/eb_m5uZd If you know of a business operating outside the law, exploiting workers, gaining an unfair or illegal advantage, or you have any information, then you can call 0800 432 0804 or email us at contact@gla.gov.uk  

To celebrate International Women's Day, this week we are sharing the experience of three women who triumphed over adversity and stood up to their exploiters. Modern Slavery charity Unseen & the Modern Slavery Helpline reported that, between January 2022 and June 2023, women were identified as victims in 62 per cent of labour abuse cases within the care sector. There are an estimated 131,000 vacancies within the care sector, vacancies which are critical to fill if our nation’s most vulnerable are to receive the proper care they deserve. Those working in the UK care sector report not being properly paid, living in conditions that are unsuitable while being charged high fees for accommodation and in some cases being offered no work sometimes having paid up to £20,000 to exploiters. Our first lady who has bravely shared her story is Genna, who came to the UK on the Health and Care Worker visa, alongside her husband and two-year-old daughter. Genna said: “I was pressured to work long hours, harassed on my days off to work, I had to sign paperwork, and I was threatened with deportation and told that false allegations would be made against me which would get me in trouble with the authorities. “I contacted the GLAA who supported me, and through them I found the strength to keep working for them, while looking for a new sponsor as I did not want to jeopardise my immigration status or end up destitute with my family.” Read more on our website: https://lnkd.in/eBH7Azfa If you are being exploited for your labour or you are concerned that someone you know is then tell us. Call us on 0800 432 0804 or email contact@gla.gov.uk. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD #Care

Our CEO Elysia McCaffrey has shared a poignant message for International Women's Day. Please take a look at her post below:

❗ Reminder Over the last few months our enforcement teams have seen an increase in the number of labour users who have been using unlicensed gangmasters to obtain workers in the regulated sectors. These businesses are now subject to a GLAA criminal investigation. We are concerned that due diligence has not been carried out to ensure the labour provider is licensed. Remember it is a criminal offence under Section 13 of the Gangmasters Licensing Act 2004 to obtain staff from a labour provider not holding a GLAA licence. Please use our website to check which activities require a licence and what the exemptions and exclusions are. You can also check who has a GLAA licence by using the public register on our website. https://lnkd.in/e8zMBh7S

If you are thinking about travelling to the UK for seasonal work then be wary of scams. Remember you should not pay someone to find you work in the UK and before you travel check the job is real. Contact the business you will be working for to confirm the details. Find out more about the seasonal worker scheme on GOV.UK - https://lnkd.in/eMyd6P2a #SWS #SeasonalWork

Vacancy – Senior Enforcement Investigator (LAPO) – full-time position - covering the South East Do you want to stop worker exploitation in the UK? Come and join our National Investigations team and help us ensure workers in the UK are treated fairly, properly and are protected from abuse and exploitation. Find out more about this role on Civil Service Jobs: https://bit.ly/41D1bLH