History
The agency is a non-departmental public body which was established on 1 April 2005 by the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004, passed as the result of the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster. The primary purpose of the authority is to prevent the exploitation of workers in the food production sector.
Until the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994, introduced by Conservative minister John Redwood, all employment agencies would have needed to operate under such a scheme. This followed from the Employment Agencies Act 1973, which required all employment agencies to be licensed. The 1994 Act removed the licensing regime, though there have been renewed calls for its reintroduction, especially given the drive for the Temporary and Agency Worker (Equal Treatment) Bill.
Moves to create the Licensing Authority were spearheaded by the Temporary Labour Working Group, a coalition of the National Farmers Union, the Transport & General Workers' Union, the Food and Drink Federation, the British Retail Consortium and the Ethical Trading Initiative. Jim Sheridan introduced a Private Members Bill into Parliament early in 2004 and the Government adopted this bill following the deaths of 23 Chinese cockle pickers in the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, England on 5 February 2004.
Read more about this topic: Gangmasters Licensing Authority
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