Labour Exploitation

Businesses are being encouraged to take advantage of a special event in the East of England to find out how they can identify and prevent labour exploitation.

Organised by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), the regional seminar will take place in Ely from 11am until 1pm on Thursday 7 June.

The event is free to attend and is highly recommended for anyone involved in a business where there is a risk of labour exploitation.

Since being granted new police-style powers by government last year, the GLAA has been relentless in bringing offenders to justice and protecting vulnerable workers.

From April 2017, the authority has arrested almost 100 people, identified over 1,140 employees suffering direct abuse and recovered more than £150,000 for workers.

The GLAA has also worked closely with police forces, the National Crime Agency and other government enforcement agencies to target, dismantle and disrupt serious organised crime.

GLAA Interim Chief Executive Roger Bannister, formerly an Assistant Chief Constable at Lincolnshire Police, will lead the session.

He said: “I’m excited to be returning to the East of England for this regional seminar which is one of 11 we are holding across the country over the next few months. The seminar gives you the opportunity to find out a bit more about the work we do, meet some of my key GLAA colleagues, and for you to ask me questions during an informal Q&A session.

“We know that counties such as Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have their own unique challenges regarding labour exploitation, especially in the agricultural and food processing sectors. This is something we are determined to clamp down on and by working together this is precisely what we will do.

“Over the last year we have made great progress in driving modern slavery and labour exploitation out of our communities, and with your help we intend to build on this work. I have only been in my role for a couple of months but I have already seen the enthusiasm and drive from ourselves and our partners in tackling this problem.

“Spaces are filling fast for this much-anticipated event so make sure you don’t miss out. Come along and find out how we can all work together to put an end to modern slavery for good.”

How to book

The seminar will be held at G’s Fresh, Barway Road, Barway, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5TZ.

For further information or to reserve your place, please email popup.events@gla.gsi.gov.uk and specify the names and email addresses of the attendees.

For any queries please call 0115 959 7075.