The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority




The Gangmasters Labour and Abuse Authority (GLAA) (previously the Gangmasters Licensing Authority) was set up in 2005 after the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster in which at least 21 Chinese undocumented migrant labourers tragically drowned.



The GLA was originally set up as a tripartite body with board level representatives from employers, labour providers, retailers, trade unions and the government. Later changes ended its tripartite structure and since 2014, there has been no board level trade union representation. Instead, unions sit on a Worker/NGO Liaison Group, which assists the board in carrying out its functions.



Originally part of DEFRA, the GLAA is now part of the Home Office, under the overall supervision of the Director of Labour Enforcement (DLE).
It operates a licensing and inspection regime in the following sectors: agriculture; horticulture; shellfish gathering; and
associated processing and packaging. A searchable public register of licensed operators is available on its website.



In May 2017, parts of the Immigration Act 2016 came into force, making significant changes to the scope and functions of the renamed GLAA. In particular:



• the GLAA now has powers to investigate labour abuse allegations across the entire UK labour market, instead of being limited to specific sectors. However, to date its licensing regime has not been extended. The DLE is consulting over whether to extend the existing licensing system into other sectors such as construction and social care, where it reports that “stakeholders” hold “diametrically opposed views”. Trade unions strongly support extending the licensing system and are strongly opposed to its watering down, or to the introduction of any sort of voluntary certification system; 
 


• a new role — Labour Abuse Prevention Officers — has been created, with powers to investigate labour market offences, including modern slavery in the workplace, and to arrest suspects, enter premises, carry out searches and seize evidence; and


• a new information hub is to provide strategic assessment of labour exploitation and new risks, using new inter-agency data-sharing powers under the IA 16 to help identify trends in worker exploitation. 


There is information about the powers and activities of the GLAA on its webpage: www.gla.gov.uk.