FMB bogus checklist

The Federation of Master Builders' (FMB) checklist for employing immigrants and asylum seekers warns employers to be aware of bogus self-employed workers, how to avoid charges of racial discrimination and advises double-checking identification.

The factsheet sets out a series of checks for members to observe in avoiding £5,000-per-offence fines under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996.

All workers joining companies after 27 January 1997 are open to scrutiny. However, employers' checks are not compulsory. Advice includes creating a credible defence for members by ensuring workers have a legal National Insurance number, passport, birth certificate, work permit or identity card.

Employers also need to take copies of these for their records and keep them for six months after workers leave. Employers should be wary of the abuse of CIS cards, which do not confer the right to work in the UK, and should seek further documentation.

The FMB has warned members to comply with the Race Relations Act 1976 by treating all job applicants in the same way and not to ask for passports from applicants "who look or sound foreign". However, it is legal for an employer to refuse employment to a worker who could be a danger to colleagues by being unable to read warning signs.