UK Parliament/Flickr. (CC 2.0 by-nc-nd)
The UK government says it considers tackling ‘modern slavery’ a priority and so enshrined in law the Modern Slavery Act in March 2015. In August I warned that the proposed Immigration Bill would create the conditions in which so-called modern slavery will flourish in the UK. The bill is now making its way through the houses of parliament, and Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) is leading advocacy to mitigate the worst elements of ‘part one’ on labour market enforcement. Despite our warnings, and after three months of parliamentary scrutiny, not once has the government considered the bill’s possible impact on ‘victims of modern slavery’. Instead, we are told that the bill will help to prevent exploitation as it will discourage vulnerable undocumented migrants from coming to and working in the UK.
When announcing the contents of the planned Immigration Bill on 21 May, the prime minister stated that it would serve a dual purpose in relation to migrant labour. It would prevent the undercutting of British workers, and it would ensure that migrant workers would not have to face “low or no wages; horrendous housing; horrific working conditions”. The Immigration Bill has been coupled with a consultation on “tackling exploitation in the labour market” that seeks to expand on the prime minister’s vision. The consultation includes: proposals to share more intelligence between enforcement agencies; suggestions that the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) be provided with criminal powers; and a push to replace the licensing function of the GLA with the self-regulation of labour providers.
