REGULAR
ROGUE TRADERS
As the migrant crisis in Calais continues, Lee Baker, PR and Media Manager for the British Cleaning Council, looks at the penalties that cleaning contractors will face if they choose to break the law by hiring and exploiting illegal immigrants.
A small but significant number of firms seem to be using the words from the 80’s comedy, Only Fools and Horses, as a business model. ‘No income tax, no VAT, no money back, no guarantee’, went the famous refrain from the show’s theme tune. Del Boy’s dodgy business dealings certainly did make for comedy gold, but in the real world rouge companies are no laughing matter.
The Institute for Economic Affairs estimates that Britain's shadow economy is now worth around £150bn a year, and it’s not just the taxman who’s losing out. A large proportion of those employed in this sector are illegal migrants, who are being exploited, as their employers under-cut their wages to those of legitimate workers.
The government now wants to get tougher, and has announced a new crackdown on the three sectors it believes are employing a high number of illegal workers. These are, contract cleaning, care homes, and building sites.
There will be an increase in unannounced visits by immigration officers on those companies thought to be flouting the law, and there are some eye watering penalties for anyone found guilty.
These include fines of up to £20,000 per illegal worker and a possible two year stretch in prison.
The BCC fully supports this latest initiative and has invited Sarah Burton, Assistant Director of the West
24 | Tomorrow’s Cleaning September 2015
London Immigration Compliance and Enforcement Team, to speak at the next Council meeting in October.
It’s an issue that frustrates those in the industry that do play by the rules. Rouge cleaning companies undercut the good guys, squeezing already tight margins even further. Illegal migrants are put on the job with little or no training, no health and safety knowledge, and are often treated extremely badly by these employers.
The cleaning industry has made enormous strides forward over the last few
years. Rouge cleaning firms threaten to drag the industry back into the dark ages.
They’re made to work long unsociable hours for below the minimum rate, whilst their employers breach employment, health and safety and tax rules.
The cleaning industry has made enormous strides forward over the last few years in areas like training, daytime cleaning, and the living wage, and has seen its reputation enhanced as a result. Rouge cleaning firms threaten to drag the industry back into the dark ages, which is why the BCC is fully behind these latest measures.
That’s not to say those contactors that do play by the rules have always felt the warm glow of satisfaction for doing so. Many have found that the registration process can be lengthy and cumbersome, with often little in the way of help from the Home Office.
Sarah Burton has taken some of this on board, and has said there will be more assistance from the government in the future for those companies wanting to process immigration checks. She says their website has been revamped, making the guidelines clearer, and that there will be further measures in the autumn.
The images on TV news of migrants in Calais risking life and limb to get into the UK are a vivid reminder of what’s at stake here. You would have to possess a heart of stone not to feel something for their plight, but the simple fact is that those who do end up working here illegally will be exploited, and in doing so, those exploiting them will be dragging down the rest of the economy as well.
It’s a very tough message that’s being sent out, but for the vast majority of hard working and legal cleaning contractors, the proper enforcement of the rules cannot come soon enough.
www.britishcleaningcouncil.org
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
Photo credit: / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
