paul broadbent

Paul Broadbent, CEO of Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA)

Two recruitment companies have been stripped of their Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) licences after a major investigation into the exploitation of migrant workers in Cambridgeshire.

Around 300 officers took part in Operation Endeavour in the early hours of 15 October at a number of addresses around March and Wisbech.

More than 80 workers from Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Estonia, thought to be have been exploited, were removed as a result of the investigation and taken to a reception centre.

Slender Contracting and MAS Recruitment, both in March, Cambridgeshire, had their licences immediately suspended to prevent any further suspected exploitation of workers.

Both businesses have now had their licences fully revoked, preventing them from operating in the GLA’s regulated sector.

The investigation found that Slender Contracting had breached a number of GLA licensing standards by falsifying payslips in order to underpay employees, failing to provide workers with appropriate protective equipment and failing to agree terms and conditions of work.

Manager Martyn Slender also failed a critical ‘fit and proper person’ test.

MAS Recruitment’s licence was revoked after a breach of the same ‘fit and proper’ standard. The named licence-holder, Mark Slender, brother of Martyn, was also a director of Slender Contracting and involved in its operations.

Slender Contracting has ceased trading since the suspension was imposed.

MAS Recruitment is now prevented by law from supplying any labour into agriculture, horticulture, food processing and packaging or shellfish gathering.

Many of the workers have since found alternative accommodation and employment with licensed operators.