Gangmasters Licensing Authority's Secret Conclusions
An interesting chapter in the story of UNITE vs Thanet Earth has closed as the Gangmasters Licensing Authority completes it's investigation into UNITE's claims against Thanet Earth.
You might recall that Thanet star's articles about UNITES's week of action against Thanet Earth and UNITES's London protest against Thanet Earth. The general beef being that workers were not treated at all well and that the 550 promised jobs never materialised. That they were mostly using cheap immigrant labour was also a sore point.
The full details of the investigation are to remain private which means that the public will remain in the dark about what was found. Whose interest does this best serve?
The Gangmasters Licensing Authority is a government body and yet it seems to be opperating in a way that suggests to me that it would rather kiss the backside of companies than protect the rights of workers. According to my sources the Gangmasters Licensing Authority has confirmed (in a statement that I've not seen) that only one of the three labour providers inspected was flagged up as "cause for concern". Which is red-tape speak for "broke the rules more than most".
Apparently the Gangmasters Licensing Authority has said that the matter has been resolved (even though it has been done in secret). All three of the labour providers will continue to hold their Gangmasters Licensing Authority licence.