CRITERIA

Employment is Freely Chosen

Freedom of Association & Collective Bargaining

Safe & Hygienic Working Environment

Child Labour

Living Wages To Be Paid

Working Hours Are Not Excessive

No Discrimination

Regular Employment

No Harsh Or Inhumane Treatment

Use of Agency Labour

Continual Improvement

General

Code

Law

Assess

Action Plan

Regular Employment Issues

Casual workers and subcontractors can often suffer because they do not have a clear contract of employment. This means that they may not enjoy the same pay and benefits as permanent workers. They are also vulnerable because they may not have the same redundancy and termination rights as other workers. Some employers use repeated temporary contracts to avoid paying social security contributions on behalf of workers.

Illegal and unethical employment practices on Britain's farms are coming under attack by the government. Each year over 100,000 casual workers are taken on to work in the fields and orchards around Britain.

The use of illegal workers raises a number of problems, for workers themselves, the supply chain and the government. Illegal workers are more vulnerable to risk and exploitation because they:

• Often do not speak English so find it hard to communicate with employer / Labour users (LU) and may not understand instructions, such as those for health and safety, which significantly inreases risk to workers.
• They have a low awareness of their rights, if they are aware of these, are too afraid to assert their rights.
• They are afraid to go to the authorities for fear of deportation.
• The use of illegal workers, often untraceable, means the Government loses a significant amount of tax revenue.

There is increasing media interest in the use of illegal labour in food supply chains, with many recent exposès, raising consumer concerns and putting retailers brands at risk.