Renewed calls For Gangmasters Act to extend to construction

Construction union UCATT is renewing its call for the Gangmasters Act to be extended to the construction industry after an investigation by The Observer revealed that workers on the East London line extension were being underpaid.

The Gangmasters act currently only covers agriculture, food processing, shellfish collection and forestry.

The Observer reported at the weekend that a group of workers were paid minimum wages at £5.73 per hour, whilst construction boss Paul Singh pocketed £6,000 a week as he paid the employees only a third of what he was charging for the work. Some workers alleged to the Observer that they were paid below minimum wages during the year-long period they worked on the project. Singh was taken off the project in February this year.

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, commented on the findings: “The level of exploitation occurring on the East London Line was outrageous. It is very disturbing that this level of abuse went unchecked for such a long time. The highly fragmentated nature of the construction industry allows principal contractors to turn a blind eye about the working conditions on their sites.

“Sadly until the Gangmasters Act is extended to the construction industry, unscrupulous employers will continue to be able to exploit their workforce.”

In July this year Rita Donaghy recommended in her Government-sponsored report into construction safety, One Death is Too Many, that the Gangmasters Act be extended to the construction industry. The Government has not yet issued a formal response to Ms Donaghy’s report but this is expected shortly after Parliament returns following the summer recess.