UCATT attacks illegal worker crackdown

Construction union UCATT has criticised today’s announcement by the Home Office that there will be a further crackdown on illegal workers.

As part of the move, immigration minister Liam Byrne will publish a consultation paper that is expected to set out details of fines for firms that knowingly employ illegal immigrants.

General secretary Alan Ritchie said: “This is a yet another high profile crackdown on illegal workers which fails to address the real problems that industries such as construction face. Rather than attempting to launch another crackdown on illegal workers, the Government should be looking to transform the casualised nature of the British workplace.

“The truth is that if workers are directly employed by bona fide businesses and are not manipulated by Gangmasters, dubious agencies or dodgy sub-contractors, then it is highly unlikely that illegal workers will be employed in the first place.”