The UK Gangmaster Licensing Authority (GLA) last week uncovered inadequate safety standards and worker exploitation by three gangmasters operating in Worcestershire, highlighting the importance of food processors to remain vigilant and aware of their employees’ situations.
A gangmaster is an individual or business that supplies labor to areas such as agriculture, horticulture, food processing and packaging.
Following a tip-off, the GLA conducted an unannounced raid on the premises of vegetable packing firm Simms and Wood.
The investigators not only found poor working conditions, which put migrant workers' lives at risk, but also inadequate food safety standards. They found:
- A minibus with no tax, no insurance and only a single usable door being used to transport 14 workers between their homes and the warehouse
- Employees working between 60 and 70 hours a week with only 39 hours shown on payslips
- No accurate record of the number of workers or identity of workers employed to work at the warehouse.
- A serious hygiene issues involving food destined for major UK supermarket
The GLA said the blame over employment issues did not lie with the packaging firm, but with the gangmasters.
However, it could not yet ascertain blame over the hygiene issue, where a worker had cut his finger and was told by supervisor to simply cover the bleeding wound with cling film and return to work.
Read the full FoodProductionDaily.com story here.
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