"ILO, GLA join forces to tackle abusive recruitment practices", 31 Jan 2017

The International Labour Organisation and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), England have signed a letter of intent to strengthen their collaboration on tackling abusive recruitment practices that trick workers into modern slavery and forced labour.  Minister for Vulnerability, Safeguarding and Countering Extremism, Sarah Newton said “The government is determined to eradicate modern slavery, it is a barbaric crime which destroys the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our society...In the framework of the Fair Recruitment Initiative led by the ILO and supported by the ITUC and the IOE, new general principles and operational guidelines for fair recruitment, were launched in September 2016, and have been recognised widely as an international benchmark on how to address the issue...Following the adoption of the UK Immigration Act 2016, the GLA has been given new powers, including the possibility to investigate modern slavery offences related to labour exploitation, with increased powers of arrest, search and seizure of evidence of labour abuse. The GLA will be able to investigate across the entire UK labour market, and not solely in the fresh goods and related processing and packaging sectors as before...