A Shropshire gangmaster has been stripped of his GLA licence after inspectors discovered his company was systematically ‘skimming’ workers’ pay, resulting in employees receiving less than the National Minimum Wage.
TRS Personnel, of Stafford Park, Telford, is run by Shrewsbury couple Jeff and Vicki Lawrence. The business held a GLA Licence to permit the supply of temporary workers to a number of food factories in the county.
However, the GLA investigated the company’s operations after receiving complaints that it was ‘chopping’ workers’ hours, resulting in underpayment of wages and a significant financial advantage for the business.
Following the inspection, the company’s licence to provide temporary workers to the fresh produce sector was revoked with immediate effect earlier this month.
The discrepancy over wages was revealed when the numbers of hours the factories being billed for was checked against and found to be greater than the number of hours for which employees were paid.
GLA director of licensing Nicola Ray said: “TRS Personnel systematically denied money due to their workers using a number of different methods – effectively preying on the lowly paid by skimming their wages to boost company profits.
“By employing such tactics the employees received less than the National Minimum Wage and such pre-determined exploitation will not be ignored by the GLA. The Lawrences showed no willingness to comply with legal, regulatory or professional requirements and standards and have effectively now been banned from working in our regulated sector.”
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