How the GLAA has stopped worker exploitation in the last 12 months

The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) is a government agency with a mission of stopping worker exploitation through being a robust and effective regulator, working as an essential law enforcement partner, and sharing expertise to address labour abuse.  

In the last 12 months, the authority has been busy protecting vulnerable workers by conducting 214 investigations in industries ranging from agriculture to hand car washes and the care sector.  

It has also brought to justice some of the most serious offenders who have exploited workers for their labour.  

In October 2022, two men and a woman who exploited a worker in South Wales were given sentences totalling more than 10 years.  

Normunds Freibergs, Jacobus Stankevicius and Ruta Stankeviciene kept the victim in a house in Newport against his will and forced him to work to pay off an ever-increasing “debt” while at the same time plundering his wages. Over an 11-month period they stole an estimated £10,000 from him and the most money he ever received was £20.  

Freibergs, now 41, was jailed for five years at Cardiff Crown Court after being found guilty of requiring a person to perform forced or compulsory labour and arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploitation.  

He was subsequently also handed a 10-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order (STPO). 

Husband and wife  were convicted of the same forced and compulsory labour offence. Stankevicius, 60, was given a four-year jail term. Stankeviciene, 58, received a 20 month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.  

This sentence was followed in the summer of 2023 by the conviction of Marian Mustafa, 55, who admitted charges of arranging or facilitating the travel of two individuals with a view to exploiting them when he appeared before Peterborough Crown Court.  

Mustafa was charged in 2020 but absconded back to Romania. Upon his return to the UK in 2022, he was arrested and remanded in custody.   

He recruited his victims by promising them work in the UK despite not having any jobs lined up for them. Once they arrived in the UK, he controlled their ID documents and then later all their bank cards and PIN numbers.   

In interviews, one of the victims said he had been punched by Mustafa. The other victim added he too was also assaulted by Mustafa who kicked and subjected him to regular verbal abuse.   

Mustafa was sentenced to eight years in prison with the court also imposing a 12-year STPO.  

In both cases, the victims entered the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), a government framework ensuring victims of modern slavery can access bespoke support services.  

Civil sanctions

The GLAA has also made extensive use of civil sanctions over the last 12 months, securing 14 Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders (STROs) which are issued to restrict the activities of those suspected of otherwise committing slavery or trafficking offences.  

In December 2022, two directors of a Nepalese recruitment agency suspected of exploiting vulnerable workers by charging them thousands of pounds in recruitment fees were handed interim STROs lasting 18 months.  

Resham Gurung, 66, and Pravin Rimal, 57, were given the orders after workers told the GLAA they had paid job-finding fees of up to £13,000 to Adept and Agile while they were still in Nepal. Some had taken out loans to pay the fee, while others said that they had put up their homes or businesses as security for the loan.  

Adept and Agile, the recruitment agency Gurung and Rimal were listed as being chairmen of, also had its GLAA licence revoked.  

In February 2023, five people suspected of recruiting and exploiting vulnerable Indian students working in care homes across North Wales were issued with STROs lasting indefinitely.  

Mathew Issac, 33, and his wife Jinu Cherian, 31, supplied workers through Alexa Care Solutions, a recruitment agency registered in May 2021.  

Reports to the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline only three months later said that Indian workers employed by Alexa Care were not being paid correctly or were having their wages withheld.  

The GLAA identified more than 50 Indian students as being potential victims of modern slavery and labour abuse through this investigation alone.  

In addition to Issac and Cherian, orders were granted against Eldhose Cherian, 26, Eldhose Kuriachan, 25, and Jacob Liju, 48.  

In both cases, while civil orders have been successfully secured, there have been no criminal charges at this stage.  

Partnership work

The easiest way to stop worker exploitation, however, is by preventing it from happening in the first place. Prevention is the cornerstone of the GLAA and is at the forefront of the organisation’s thoughts when conducting enforcement and regulatory activity.  

This is highlighted by the GLAA partnering with public sector framework provider SCAPE, the modern slavery charity Unseen, the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab and Achilles, the global leader in supply chain risk and performance management.  

The partnership, which has developed over the last 12 months, aims to eradicate slavery and labour exploitation across the building sector by sharing intelligence, identifying emerging trends, and committing to robust auditing procedures.  

GLAA Director of Strategy and Impact Samantha Ireland said: “At the GLAA we understand partnership working and a collaborative approach in sectors such as construction delivers the best results in stopping worker exploitation.   

“Frameworks which put worker welfare at their core and promote a culture of information sharing among partners are invaluable in raising standards and reducing risks across all industries. 

"The GLAA is committed to ensuring we can achieve even more in the next 12 months and beyond, by being a robust regulator, essential enforcement partner, and known as experts in addressing worker abuse and exploitation.  

“If you have information that workers are being exploited for their labour, please get in touch with us. You can report concerns by emailing intelligence@gla.gov.uk or by using the online reporting form on our website.”