The Temporary Labour Working Group was a UK industry consortium set up to establish a set of minimum standards for employment agencies working in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

and

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

. It was founded in September 2002, convened by the

Ethical Trading Initiative The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is a UK-based independent body founded on 9 June 1998, which brings together companies, trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure compliance with international labour standards in the globa ...

and managed by Impactt Limited. It led to the passing of the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 and the formation of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority. It produced a code of practice concerned with illegal and unsafe working. It states that "It is well known that some labour providers act illegally, by for example employing illegal workers, evading tax and not paying the minimum wage."

Employment agencies An employment agency is an organization which matches employers to employees. In developed countries, there are multiple private businesses which act as employment agencies and a publicly-funded employment agency. Public employment agencies One ...

(called "labour providers") were audited to check on actual working conditions. Although signing up to the code was voluntary the

Association of Labour Providers Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

made it a requirement of membership and the

Fresh Produce Consortium Fresh or FRESH may refer to: People * DJ Fresh (born 1977), UK-based drum and bass artist *DJ Fresh (producer), US-based R&B producer born Marqus Brown Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Fresh'' (1994 film), a crime film * ''Fresh'' (20 ...

and the National Farmers Union recommended it. The last audit took place on 12 May 2006. The industry is now regulated by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Temporary Labour Working Group web site
Workers' rights organizations Organizations established in 2002 Agricultural organisations based in the United Kingdom Occupational organizations 2002 establishments in the United Kingdom

See also

References

External links