The extent of labour exploitation and slavery in modern-day Britain has been laid bare in a new report by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). Drawing on its extensive work with victims and offenders, as well as inspections at hundreds of workplaces, the GLAA has outlined the nature and scale of slavery in the UK today - who is being exploited, which industries are affected, and the methods being used. Some of the key findings include:
- Victims of labour exploitation are most commonly Vietnamese, Albanian and British, with British victims increasing by 362%
- Forced labour accounts for around 30% of all exploitation. The majority of victims are male EU nationals from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia
- ‘Debt bondage’ is an increasing tactic used by criminals, where victims are forced to work off debts they have no control over
- Social media are being used to recruit workers who go on to be exploited, with some people arriving in the UK for work that doesn’t exist
- Victims tend to live in poor conditions without basic facilities like electricity, heating and water. They are threatened with losing their jobs if they find somewhere else to live
- Some workers are being further exploited by being charged a daily rate of transport to and from work, with wages taken directly from their bank account
- In the 12 months until March 2017, police in England and Wales recorded 2,255 modern slavery offences - far lower than the estimated picture of tens of thousands of offences
The report is entitled ‘The Nature and Scale of Labour Exploitation Across All Sectors Within The United Kingdom.’ On Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 May, the GLAA will be sharing the key points from the report on its social media channels, including facts, information and advice. You can follow them on Twitter and Linkedin. Please share the report and the highlights widely.
08 May 2018 
Emma Keenan, Procurement Specialist
