COVID-19: GLAA introduce a temporary licensing scheme
01 April 2020
01 April 2020
The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has introduced a temporary licensing scheme to support food supply sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Temporary licences for food production will be granted to businesses operating within the wider labour supply industry who wish to support labour providers who currently hold GLAA licences.
Applications must be sponsored by an existing GLAA licence holder.
The GLAA expect that robust due diligence checks must continue to be carried out in line with their current standards.
All applications will undergo rigorous risk-based checks and will be judged on a case-by-case basis.
The GLAA will continue to offer temporary licences for 3 months (until 30 June 2020) or whilst the government restrictions arising from COVID-19 are still in operation.
No supply of workers should occur until the GLAA have indicated their agreement in writing to the supply commencing.
For the full GLAA brief on temporary licensing, click here.
Aspire Comment
The introduction of this scheme will be well received by many in the food supply sector. The scheme will support the sector in dealing with the current high demand during the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure that workers maintain their jobs in these unprecedented times.
The GLAA have stated that they “will investigate anyone who attempts to circumvent our licensing scheme and will not hesitate to revoke licences or prosecute businesses for unlicensed trading.” It is imperative that as a business, you continue to carry out robust due diligence procedures and ensure that worker exploitation is not taking place in your supply chain.
Aspire now have our own dedicated COVID-19 page which we will continue to update on a daily basis in line with current government publications, guidance and legislation. Knowing exactly what is on offer to your business can easily be lost in the information overload, so if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us today on 0121 445 6178 or email enquire@aspirepartnership.co.uk.