Paul Broadbent, chief executive of the GLA, which licenses labour providers in the fresh produces sector, told a Westminster Legal Policy Forum on modern slavery in London there were 4.8 million people in the UK that “may be susceptible to labour exploitation”.
“The vast majority of labour providers are absolutely scrupulous about the way they run their business. However, there’s a minority that aren’t,” he said. “They make lots of money by knocking down margins.”
He said in legitimate labour supply chains criminals establish themselves as the “interpreter” for a group of workers, keeping their passports “safe”, accepting their pay into a single bank account and being the single point of contact via a mobile phone number.
“That’s what we’re seeing more and more: a criminal infiltrating the supply chain,” said Broadbent.
