OFFENCES
The Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 includes a number of criminal offences.
It is illegal to:
- operate as a Gangmaster without a licence
- use an unlicensed Gangmaster
The maximum penalty for operating without a licence is 10 years in prison and a fine.
The maximum penalty for using an unlicensed Gangmaster is 6 months in prison and a fine.
It is an offence to hold:
- a relevant document that is known or believed to be false
- a relevant document obtained by deception and known or believed to have been so obtained
- a relevant document that relates to someone else with the intention of causing a third party to believe that the person in possession of the documentation or another person is a licensed Gangmaster.
It is also an offence to obstruct a GLA officer in the course of their duties.
The GLA enforces these criminal offences on behalf of Defra.
