Labour MP Jim Sheridan has introduced a Bill to ‘amend the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 to extend its provisions to cover construction work; and for connected purposes’.

The current Act applies to all labour providers operating in the agricultural and shellfish industries and the food processing and packaging sectors. It requires all those gangmasters to be licensed, and led to the establishment of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to run a register of gangmasters and enforce a licensing scheme. It also  created penalties of up to10 years’ imprisonment for gangmasters who break the law. Jim Sheridan MP has argued that these provisions should be extended more employment sectors.

Jim Sheridan MP said: “While I can rightly argue that the Act is good law, I am also forced to admit that it is a limited law, because it applies only to a narrow, albeit important, sector of industry. Two years on from its hitting the statute book, the impact of its limitations is becoming all too apparent, especially if we take a long, hard look at the UK’s construction industry. “

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