Gangmaster raids expose illegal working conditions at Atherstone Site

Spot checks have revealed the illegal and harsh world of east European workers packing vegetables for the country’s biggest supermarket chains.

Inspectors from the Government’s new agricultural labour agency found serious breaches of employment laws when they visited three packing plants in the West Midlands

None of scores of migrant workers had contracts of employment and most were not paid the national minimum wage. Many had been working for more than 10 hours a day and had not been given proper breaks or holiday pay.

Some alleged they had been intimidated by their employer, or gangmaster.

The Gangmasters Licensing Agency (GLA), which was set up after the Morecambe Bay cockle-picking tragedy, revoked the licences of all seven gangmasters supplying the workers. They had been working at Bomfords, one of the country’s largest vegetable suppliers whose clients include Tesco and Sainsbury.

Supermarkets said they were “shocked” by the allegations and would be investigating the cases as a matter of urgency.

The inspections took place at Bomfords’ plants at Pershore in Worcestershire, and Atherstone and Salford Priors in Warwickshire. They found about 250 migrant workers, understood to be Poles and Slovaks, processing and packing green beans and chillies. Of the seven gangmasters, who were supplying labour to Bomfords, all seven failed to provide contracts or health and safety training or legal driving licences. Five were not paying the national minimum wage or giving payslips or keeping records of days and hours worked. Three had breached the 48-hour week and had no record of tax or national insurance payments. Two were in breach of rules on rest breaks. Six of the gangmasters have been allowed to continue in business until the end of an appeal process of 40 working days. But the breaches by one, Dynamic Workforce Ltd of Smethwick, were so serious it was ordered to cease trading immediately.

Dynamic, which was unavailable for comment, was found to have been breaching the rules on “physical and mental mistreatment” of workers. It was the only gangmaster named.

Paul Whitehouse, the GLA chairman, said his inspectors moved in after receiving information about conditions at Bomfords. He said:

“We were convinced we would find some problems at Bomfords but we did not expect to find every single labour provider was below the required standard or to the extent that they were. That surprised us.”

Bomfords said it had suspended the services of all seven gangmasters and was taking steps to ensure all the workers affected remained in employment.

Tesco said it was “urgently investigating these serious allegations”.

Asda said:

“We were shocked to hear about these allegations and have immediately begun a full investigation. We take any issue of this nature with any of our suppliers extremely seriously.”

Campaigners said the checks were evidence of an army of migrant workers doing arduous shifts, sometimes for illegally low pay, to put food into shops.

Martin Hird, senior organiser for the GMB union, said:

“It’s patently obvious that there are agencies out there who are ripping them off and exposing them to dangers through breaches of health and safety legislation. They are not being provided with protective clothing or goggles during crop spraying, for example. There are also issues over tax and national insurance and proper holiday entitlement.”

The Food Ethics Council think-tank blamed price pressure from supermarkets for the harsh treatment of migrants. Tom MacMillan, executive director, said:

“For a start, they need the same safeguards in law as permanent workers. But the Government must also ease the squeeze from supermarkets – until that happens, stronger legal rights won’t count for much.”