Up to 40 people were put forward by Raja Mudassar Javed and Wayne Critchley via their recruitment agency Smart way 2 Recruit Ltd, which is now in liquidation, an investigation by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) found.
Javed, 31, of Ryecroft Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Critchley, 59, of Branston Road, New Moston, Manchester both pleaded guilty when they appeared before Tameside Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 30 May.
“The flagrant and deliberate disregard both Javed and Critchley demonstrated for our licensing regime could potentially have put vulnerable workers at risk of exploitation,” GLAA senior investigating officer Martin Plimmer said.
'Unscrupulous labour providers'
“The Gangmasters (Licensing) Act was created 15 years ago to ensure workers were not exploited for monetary gain. We are determined as an organisation to continue to prosecute unscrupulous labour providers who operate outside of the regulations.”
Javed was fined £1,200 plus a victim surcharge of £100 while Critchley received a fine of £800 plus a victim surcharge of £85.
Acting as a gangmaster without a GLAA licence is a criminal offence carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine.
An offence
Using labour provided by unlicensed gangmasters is also an offence that carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine.
In May, a man supply food processing staff via a recruitment agency was prevented from putting forward workers without a licence following investigations by the GLAA in Devon.
