Cross-border agreement to tackle employment abuse of migrant and other workers

The Irish and British governments have signed an agreement to tackle cross-border employment abuse of migrant and other workers.

Exploited workers look set to benefit from additional protection in the Republic and the north after the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) signed a formal agreement with the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), the British equivalent of the Irish employment watchdog.

GLA chief executive Paul Broadbent and WRC chief labour inspector Padraig Dooley put pen to paper on a memorandum of understanding at the GLA’s national conference in Derby to formalise and facilitate closer working between the two organisations.

The GLA’s remit is to prevent worker exploitation in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, while the WRC performs a similar role in the Republic.

Mr Dooley said: “This new agreement represents a significant step forward and I’m sure will prove mutually beneficial to both ourselves and the GLA but, more importantly, to the workers we strive to protect. We intend to make use of the new arrangements at the earliest available opportunity and look forward to sharing best practice between our two teams.”

Mr Broadbent added: “In the past, we have come across a number of issues involving agencies supplying workers across the border — and so into a jurisdiction where our relevant organisations have no powers to act.

“The document we have signed not only establishes a formal intelligence gateway through which we can share information more readily, but also allows officers from both organisations to work together more closely and attend operations together when there are cross-border implications.”

The agreement also includes a provision for officers to be seconded to the partner agency so they can become familiar with each other’s powers and working practices.

The North’s justice minister, David Ford, welcoming the memorandum of understanding said: “This agreement is a positive step forward in tackling forced labour on the island of Ireland. By working together, and sharing information and expertise, these agencies are better equipped to disrupt criminals who seek to exploit vulnerable workers.”

The GLA, which was set up in 2006 following the deaths of 23 Chinese cocklepickers in Morecambe Bay in northwest England, licences and inspects businesses that supply workers to the farming, food-processing, and shellfish-gathering sectors.

The WRC was established last October under the Workplace Relations Act. It has also taken over some of the functions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT).

While the Irish organisation performs a mostly advisory and mediation role, it has an inspectorate division that monitors employment conditions to ensure the compliance and enforcement of employment rights legislation.

Members of its inspection services also carry out inspections and gather information in relation to other employment laws. Employees or interested parties may ask for an inspection.

The British government announced recently that it is to beef up the GLA, giving it police-style powers of investigation, search, and arrest where regulatory breaches and criminal offences occur. There are no plans for the WRC to be given similar powers.