The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority ( GLAA ) is the foremost intelligence and investigative agency for labour exploitation in the UK. Its role is to work in partnership with police and other law enforcement agencies such as the National Crime Agency to protect vulnerable and exploited workers and disrupt and dismantle serious and organised crime.
60-451: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) was established on 1 April 2005 by the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 , passed in the aftermath of the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster . The authority was handed a remit of preventing the exploitation of workers in the fresh produce sector — agriculture, horticulture, shellfish gathering, and all associated processing and packaging. Initially,
120-475: A bomber calling himself "Sally" sent letter bombs to Tesco customers and demanded that Clubcards be modified to be capable of withdrawing money from cash machines. The company started to expand the range of products it sold during the 1960s to include household goods and clothing under the Delamare brand, and in 1974 opened its first petrol station. In 2001, Tesco became involved in internet grocery retailing in
180-510: A downmarket high-volume low-cost retailer, attempting to attract a range of social groups with its low-cost "Tesco Value" range (launched 1993 ) and premium "Tesco Finest" range. Tesco is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . Jack Cohen , the son of Jewish migrants from Poland, founded Tesco in 1919 when he began to sell war-surplus groceries from
240-532: A home shopping service through the Tesco.com website. In May 1984, in Gateshead , England, Mrs. Jane Snowball used a piece of computer technology called " Videotex " on her television to purchase groceries from her local Tesco shop in the world's first recorded online shopping transaction from the home. As of November 2006, Tesco was the only food retailer to make online shopping profitable. Since 2006 Tesco has operated
300-591: A key role in working with businesses to prevent exploitation from happening in the first place. In October 2017, the authority launched the Construction Protocol, which is aimed at eradicating slavery and labour exploitation in the building industry. The protocol commits signatories to: This protocol was followed by the creation of the Apparel and General Merchandise Public Private Protocol in November 2018, which has
360-505: A licence. Under s.13, people who deal with unlicensed gangmasters can face 51 weeks jail, unless they can show they took all reasonable steps to establish that the gangmasters were licensed. The following orders have been made under this section: Tesco Tesco plc ( / ˈ t ɛ s . k oʊ / ) is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City , England. The company
420-693: A much smaller range of non-food goods than Extra hypermarkets. The shops have always been branded as 'Tesco', but a new shop in Liverpool was the first to use the format brand 'Tesco Superstore' above the door. Tesco operates a number of in-shop cafes but also began to introduce new restaurants in its shops from 2013 under the "Decks Carvery" brand. Tesco Express shops are neighbourhood convenience shops averaging 200 square metres (2,200 sq ft), stocking mainly food with an emphasis on higher-margin products such as sweets, crisps, chocolate, biscuits, fizzy drinks, and processed food (due to small shop size, and
480-567: A number of dark stores dedicated to the fulfilment of online orders of groceries. Tesco launched its customer loyalty scheme, the Tesco Clubcard , in 1995. It has been cited as a pivotal development in Tesco's progress towards becoming the UK's largest supermarket chain and one that fundamentally changed the country's supermarket business. Tesco itself was cited in a Wall Street Journal article as using
540-539: A profit of £130 million for the 52 weeks to 24 February 2007, of which Tesco's share was £66 million. This move towards the financial sector diversified the Tesco brand and provides opportunities for growth outside of the retailing sector. On 28 July 2008, Tesco announced that it would buy out the Royal Bank of Scotland's 50% stake in the company for £950 million. F&F launched in 2001 as Florence & Fred in Tesco's UK and Ireland supermarkets. In 2010,
600-443: A sanction (r.8), require the agency to provide the end-user with a document containing the terms of the agreement on fees, and what to do if the worker is unsatisfactory (r.11); they also prevent gangmasters giving each other workers unless the worker has properly consented (r.16), and require keeping of records for each worker (r.19). The agency must give the labourer information about his legal rights (r.15). The status of such rights
660-523: A scaled-down F&F on Tesco.com soon after its deal with Next. Tesco operates a mobile phone business across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. It first launched in the UK in 2003 as a joint venture with O2 and operates as a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) using the network of O2 with the exceptions of Hungary where the network of Vodafone Hungary
SECTION 10
#1732852799555720-517: A seven-inch model called Hudl . Tesco also purchased the restaurant and cafe chain Giraffe for £48.6 million. In 2015, Tesco confirmed the sale of its Blinkbox on-demand video service and its fixed-line telephone and broadband business to TalkTalk . In January, Tesco sold the Blinkbox Music streaming service to now-defunct Guvera , and confirmed it would close its Blinkbox Books service by
780-524: A small I.T. support company called The PC Guys in 2007, and were able to launch Tesco Tech Support in December 2008. In the 1960s, Tesco set up a non-food division, Tesco Home 'n' Wear, headed by Leslie Porter . It had stand-alone shops and departments in larger shops, and from 1975 a distribution centre in Milton Keynes . Although Tesco continued to stock non-food items the stand-alone shops were closed and
840-511: A stall at Well Street Market, Hackney , in the East End of London . The Tesco brand first appeared in 1924. The name came about after Jack Cohen bought a shipment of tea from Thomas Edward Stockwell . He made new labels using the initials of the supplier's name (TES), and the first two letters of his surname (CO), forming the word TESCO. After experimenting with his first permanent indoor market stall at Tooting in November 1930, Jack Cohen opened
900-810: Is a risk of worker exploitation by gathering intelligence and working with police, government departments, and other enforcement agencies to target, dismantle and disrupt serious and organised crime across the UK labour market. The Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 established four specific offences: In England and Wales, the GLAA uses the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to investigate forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking offences. The Immigration Act 2016 also introduced Labour Market Enforcement Undertakings (LMEUs) and Labour Market Enforcement Orders (LMEOs) which can be used as an alternative or additional sanction for breaches of labour market legislation. The first LMEO in
960-619: Is the most recent plank of UK agency worker law . It establishes the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (s.1), which requires that all such agencies have a licence before they operate, and adhere to proper labour practice standards. Most of its provisions came into effect after 2005. The immediate cause of the legislation was the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster , where 21 Chinese immigrant labourers were left to drown by their employers (the racketeers were subsequently convicted of manslaughter, and some deported back to China) off
1020-469: Is uncertain, but it would appear that under s.230 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 a worker will be considered the employee of the end-user. Certainly every worker must be paid the minimum wage, receive holiday pay, and must not be subject to discrimination. The 2004 Act creates a number of offences with heavy penalties. Under s.12(4) offenders can face 10 years imprisonment for operating without
1080-715: Is used and Ireland where Three Ireland is used. As a virtual operator, Tesco Mobile does not own or operate its own network infrastructure. By January 2011 Tesco announced it had over 2.5 million UK mobile customers. Tesco also operated a home telephone and broadband business. Its broadband service was launched in August 2004 to complement its existing internet service provider business, providing an ADSL -based service delivered via BT phone lines. In January 2015, Tesco sold its home telephone and broadband business, together with Blinkbox , to TalkTalk for around £5 million. Its customers were transferred by 2016. Tesco acquired
1140-592: The Budgens , Londis , Euro Shopper , and Premier Stores brands which operate under franchises. In the United Kingdom Tesco offers financial services through Tesco Bank, formerly a 50:50 joint venture with The Royal Bank of Scotland . Products on offer include credit cards, loans, mortgages, savings accounts, and several types of insurance, including car, home, life, and travel. They are promoted by leaflets in Tesco's shops and through its website. The business made
1200-786: The Hillards chain of 40 supermarkets in the North of England for £220 million. In 1994, the company took over the supermarket chain William Low after fighting off Sainsbury's for control of the Dundee -based firm, which operated 57 shops. This paved the way for Tesco to expand its presence in Scotland, in which its presence was weaker than in England. Tesco introduced a loyalty card , branded ' Clubcard ' in 1995, and later an Internet shopping service. In 1996
1260-648: The 1950s and 1960s, Tesco grew organically, and also through acquisitions, until it owned more than 800 shops. The company purchased 70 Williamson's shops (1957), 200 Harrow Stores outlets (1959), 212 Irwins shops (1960), 97 Charles Phillips shops (1964) and the Victor Value chain (1968) (sold to Bejam in 1986). Jack Cohen's business motto was "pile it high and sell it cheap", to which he added an internal motto of "YCDBSOYA" (You Can't Do Business Sitting On Your Arse) which he used to motivate his sales force. In May 1987, Tesco completed its hostile takeover of
SECTION 20
#17328527995551320-676: The GLA was renamed the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) as part of reforms under the Immigration Act 2016. The government invested an additional £2 million to extend the authority's remit, allowing it to prevent, detect, and investigate worker exploitation across the entire economy. Specialist Labour Abuse Prevention Officers (LAPOs) were given powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to investigate labour market offences, including
1380-593: The GLAA, HM Revenue and Customs' National Minimum Wage unit, and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate into one agency tackling labour exploitation and enforcing workers' rights. The outcome of the consultation supported the proposal. As of December 2022 legislation to create a single enforcement body has not yet been enacted and the delay with progressing the proposal has been widely criticised by organisations supporting vulnerable workers. The GLAA investigates circumstances where there
1440-673: The One Stop brand. Some have Tesco Bank branded cash machines . The business has attracted some controversy, as the prices of groceries in these shops, often situated in more impoverished areas, can be higher than nearby Tesco branded shops, highlighted in The Times 22 March 2010: "Britain's biggest supermarket uses its chain of 639 One Stop convenience shops–which many customers do not realise it owns–to charge up to 14 per cent more for goods than it does in Tesco-branded shops." Tesco responded to
1500-611: The Safeway/BP partnership. In 2006, Tesco announced plans to move into the United States by opening a chain of small-format groceries in the Western states (Arizona, California, and Nevada) in 2007 named Fresh & Easy . Tesco would eventually pull out of the United States market in 2013, following performance issues. In 2010, Tesco started funding a small film studio intended to produce Tesco-exclusive direct-to-DVD films. The first film
1560-608: The Turkish supermarket chain Kipa . In January 2004, Tesco acquired Adminstore, owner of 45 Cullens, Europa, and Harts convenience shops, in and around London. In Thailand, Tesco Lotus was a joint venture of the Charoen Pokphand Group and Tesco, but facing criticism over the growth of hypermarkets CP Group sold its Tesco Lotus shares in 2003. In late 2005 Tesco acquired the 21 remaining Safeway / BP shops after Morrisons dissolved
1620-406: The UK was issued following a GLAA investigation into a couple from Leicester who illegally supplied workers to food factories in the city. The GLAA operates a licensing scheme regulating businesses who provide workers to the fresh produce supply chain, to make sure they meet the employment standards required by law. Labour providers are assessed by GLAA compliance officers to check they are meeting
1680-635: The UK's largest wholesaler. In April, the company confirmed it would sell its in-shop opticians' business to Vision Express . In June, Tesco announced a major cost-cutting initiative that would reduce the company's workforce by over 1,200 workers. Key reductions included over a quarter of its employees in Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield, and the closure of the call centre in Cardiff. The company hoped to reduce costs by £1.5 billion. In 2019, Tesco announced another cost-cutting initiative that would close
1740-602: The US when it obtained a 35% stake in GroceryWorks. In 2002, Tesco purchased 13 HIT hypermarkets in Poland. It also made a major move into the UK's convenience shop market with its purchase of T&S Stores, owner of 870 convenience shops in the One Stop, Dillons, and Day & Nite chains in the UK. In June 2003, Tesco purchased the C Two-Network in Japan. It also acquired a majority stake in
1800-523: The article stating "It is a separate business within the Tesco Group, with its own supply chain and distribution network. One Stop shops offer a different range to Express shops and its operating costs are different. One Stop's price strategy is to match to its nearest competitor, Costcutter , and is frequently cheaper." Tesco completed its acquisition of the food wholesaler Booker in March 2018. Booker also owns
1860-601: The authority sat under the control of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) but on 9 April 2014 it was switched to the control of the Home Office . In making the announcement, Prime Minister David Cameron stated that the move would ‘strengthen its enforcement and intelligence capabilities’ by putting it directly alongside the considerable resources of the National Crime Agency . On 30 April 2017,
Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority - Misplaced Pages Continue
1920-454: The authority's licensing standards which cover health and safety, accommodation, pay, transport and training. Employment agencies, labour providers and gangmasters who supply workers to the sectors listed below need a GLAA licence: It is a criminal offence to supply workers without a licence or use an unlicensed labour provider. The maximum penalty for acting as an unlicensed gangmaster is 10 years in prison and an unlimited fine. The GLAA has
1980-399: The brand started to open stores in of itself starting with a London store. In the early to mid-2010s, it expanded to multiple countries stores and online. In the UK, F&F had its own website until 2016 when it was folded into Tesco Direct - which itself folded in August 2018. After this, F&F had no online UK presence until it partnered with Next PLC a year later. Tesco launched
2040-594: The brand would be retired as only 31% of customers were using the stores for larger shops. 89 locations converted to the Tesco Express format while the remaining 58 adopted the standard superstore format. Dobbies is a chain of garden centres across Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. Tesco completed its acquisition of Dobbies in 2008, and the company continued to trade under its own brand, from its own head office in Melville, near Edinburgh . On 17 June 2016, Tesco sold
2100-576: The coast of Lancashire as the tide swept in around them. The Gangmasters Licensing Act was based on a voluntary project, the UK Temporary Labour Working Group [1] , carried out by companies in conjunction with trade unions through the Ethical Trading Initiative . The project provided a working model for how a licensing scheme could work, and also meant that ETI-member companies, including major UK supermarkets, lobbied for
2160-421: The early 1990s, with operations in 11 other countries in the world. The company pulled out of the US in 2013, but as of 2018 continues to see growth elsewhere. Since the 1960s, Tesco has diversified into areas such as the retailing of books, clothing, electronics, furniture, toys, petrol, software, financial services , telecommunications and internet services. In the 1990s, Tesco re-positioned itself from being
2220-430: The end of February. In 2016, Tesco confirmed it was seeking to sell Dobbies Garden Centres , Giraffe Restaurants , and Harris + Hoole to concentrate on its main supermarket business. In 2017, it was announced that Tesco had reached an agreement to merge with Britain's biggest wholesaler Booker Group . There were however concerns over market dominance with Tesco being Britain's largest food retailer and Booker being
2280-652: The first Tesco shop in September 1931 at 54 Watling Avenue, Burnt Oak , Edgware , Middlesex . Tesco was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1947 as Tesco Stores (Holdings) Limited. The first self-service shop opened in St Albans in 1948 (which remained operational until 2010 before relocating to larger premises on the same street, with a period as a Tesco Metro), and the first supermarket in Maldon in 1956. During
2340-618: The food counters in 90 stores, affecting around 9,000 workers. In October 2019, Tesco announced that CEO Dave Lewis would step down in 2020, and would be succeeded by Ken Murphy . In 2023, Tesco acquired all nine Shoprite shops on the Isle of Man from the Nicholson family who had built the chain up since 1972. As of April 2023, Tesco's UK shop portfolio was as follows: Tesco Extra shops are larger, mainly out-of-town hypermarkets that stock nearly all of Tesco's product ranges, although some are in
2400-502: The forced or compulsory labour element of modern slavery , across England and Wales. A new Joint Slavery and Trafficking Analysis Centre opened in April 2017. The dedicated unit - made up of analysts from the National Crime Agency , police, Border Force , Immigration Enforcement , HM Revenue and Customs , and the GLAA - mirrors a joint working model successfully used to gather intelligence on terrorism. The Immigration Act 2016 also created
2460-599: The heart of town centres and inner-city locations. The largest shop in England by floor space is Tesco Extra in Walkden , with 17,230 square metres (185,500 sq ft) of floor space. In common with other towns, such as Warrington , the St Helens shop, which at 13,000 m (140,000 sq ft) is one of the biggest in England, was developed on the same site as the town's new rugby league stadium. Tesco Superstores are standard large supermarkets, stocking groceries and
Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority - Misplaced Pages Continue
2520-1068: The intelligence from the Clubcard to thwart Wal-Mart's initiatives in the UK. Cardholders can collect one Clubcard point for every £1 (or one point for €1 in Ireland and Slovakia or 1 point for 1zł in Poland) they spend in a Tesco shop, or at Tesco.com, and 1 point per £2 on fuel (not in Slovakia). Customers can also collect points by paying with a Tesco Credit Card, or by using Tesco Mobile, Tesco Homephone, Tesco Broadband, selected Tesco Personal Finance products, or through Clubcard partners, E.ON and Avis . Each point equates to 1p in shops when redeemed, or up to four times that value when used with Clubcard deals (offers for holidays, day trips, etc.) Clubcard points (UK & IE) can also be converted to Avios and Virgin Atlantic frequent flyer miles. One Stop, which includes some of
2580-633: The name was no longer in use when Tesco Extra was launched. In May 2005, Tesco announced a trial non-food only format near Manchester and Aberdeen , and the first shop opened in October 2005. The shops offered all of Tesco's ranges except food in warehouse-style units in retail parks. Tesco introduced the format as only 20% of its customers had access to a Tesco Extra, and the company was restricted in how many of its superstores it could convert into Extras and how quickly it could do so. Large units for non-food retailing are much more readily available. The format
2640-406: The necessity to maximise revenue per square foot) alongside everyday essentials. They are located in busy city-centre districts, small shopping precincts in residential areas, small towns, and villages, and on Esso petrol station forecourts. In 2010 it became known that Tesco was operating Express pricing , charging more in its Express branches than in its other stores. A spokesperson said that this
2700-525: The new law. Before 1994, all such agencies were required to be registered under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 . However, the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994 , a wide-ranging measure designed to trim government, removed this requirement. The 2004 Act requires licences for any business involved in labour placement in the agricultural and shellfish sectors (s.7) and they are contingent on
2760-727: The number of Homeplus shops in the United Kingdom had reached 12; the newest shop opened in Chester in July 2009. In 2012 it was reported that Tesco was looking to close the business to focus on groceries. Tesco closed six Homeplus shops on 15 March 2015, and the remaining six shops closed on 27 June 2015. Tesco Metro shops were sized between Tesco superstores and Tesco Express shops, averaging 1,000 square metres (11,000 sq ft). They were mainly located in town centres and other urban locations and were designed to accommodate larger weekly shops as well as top-up shopping. In May 2021, Tesco announced
2820-487: The position of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement, which provides strategic direction for organisations regulating the UK labour market: The first Director of Labour Market Enforcement was Sir David Metcalf, who served until June 2019. In July 2019, the government opened a public consultation on plans to establish a new single labour market enforcement body as a feature of its overall Good Work Plan . This would combine
2880-515: The purchase of the retail arm of Associated British Foods , which consisted of the Quinnsworth , Stewarts and Crazy Prices chains in Ireland and Northern Ireland, and associated businesses, for £640 million. The deal was approved by the European Commission on 6 May 1997. The company was the subject of a letter bomb campaign lasting five months from August 2000 to February 2001 as
2940-577: The regulations. The GLAA is a Non-Departmental Public Body governed by an independent Board and Chair appointed by the Home Secretary. It currently has eight members and is responsible for ensuring the GLAA fulfils its role of working in partnership to protect vulnerable and exploited workers. The agency also sits alongside HM Revenue and Customs' National Minimum Wage unit and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate within
3000-487: The rules that the Secretary of State lays down (s.8), found in the Gangmasters (Licensing Conditions) 2006. To obtain a licence, the rules require payment of a fee linked to the agency's turnover (r.7) ranging between £250 and £4000 for businesses turning over under £1m to over £10m respectively. Agencies also have to pay for inspections of their work environment in order to obtain licensing approval (r.8). Based on turnover in
3060-595: The same principles as the Construction Protocol but with a focus on the textiles industry. The GLAA has also worked with the Downstream Fuel Association and other partners to set up the Responsible Car Wash Scheme, a project to tackle exploitation and non-compliance at hand car washes. It is supported by Tesco , Sainsbury's , Morrisons , ASDA , and Waitrose , all of whom joined the scheme to ensure that operators on their sites were abiding by
SECTION 50
#17328527995553120-426: The same way, the fees range from £1,600 to £2,500. Charging fees to labourers directly is prohibited by Schedule r.4(10)(2) and by the Employment Agencies Act 1973 s.6. The rules make the end-user the only one allowed to pay the worker (r.6), restrict the agency's power to contract with the end-user to prevent the worker taking up permanent employment (r.7), prohibit the practice of withholding pay from labourers as
3180-490: The scope of the Director of Labour Market Enforcement (DLME), which sets the priorities for the organisations tackling labour market offences. Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 The Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 (c. 11) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that regulates the agencies that place vulnerable workers in agricultural work, and the shellfish collecting and packing industries (s.3). It
3240-471: The smallest shops (smaller than a Tesco Express), was (until 2018, when the first Jack's store opened) the only Tesco shop format in the UK that did not include the word Tesco in its name. The brand, along with the original shops, formed part of the T&;S Stores business but, unlike many that were converted to Tesco Express, these kept their old name. Subsequently, other shops bought by Tesco have been converted to
3300-427: The southeast of the United Kingdom. In 1998, Tesco and Esso (part of ExxonMobil ) formed a business alliance that included several petrol filling stations on lease from Esso, with Tesco operating the attached shops under its Express format. In turn, Esso operates the forecourts and sells fuel via the Tesco shop. As of 2013, there were 200 joint Tesco Express/Esso sites in the UK. In the United Kingdom Tesco operates
3360-450: The typeface of the logo was changed to the current version with stripe reflections underneath, whilst the corporate font used for shop signage was changed from the familiar "typewriter" font that had been used since the 1970s. Overseas operations were introduced in the same year. Terry Leahy assumed the role of Chief Executive on 21 February 1997, the appointment having been announced on 21 November 1995. On 21 March 1997, Tesco announced
3420-495: Was "because of the difference in costs of running the smaller shops". Tesco first started selling petrol in 1974. Tesco sells 95, 97, and 99 RON (a fuel developed by Greenergy of which Tesco is a shareholder) petrol from forecourts at most Superstore and Extra locations. Tesco recently diversified into biofuels , offering petrol-bioethanol and diesel-biodiesel blends instead of pure petrol and diesel at its petrol stations, and now offering Greenergy 100% biodiesel at many shops in
3480-471: Was founded by Jack Cohen in Hackney, London , in 1919. In 2011, it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in the world measured by revenues. It has shops in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It is the market leader of groceries in the UK (where it has a market share of around 28.4%). Tesco has expanded globally since
3540-455: Was not Tesco's first non-food-only venture in the UK. Until the late 1990s/early 2000s there were several non-food Tesco shops around the country including Scarborough and Yate. Although not in a warehouse-style format, the shops were located on high streets and shopping centres and stocked similar items to Homeplus shops. In both cases, this was because another part of the shopping centre had a Tesco Superstore that stocked food items only. By 2014,
3600-483: Was released on 6 September called Paris Connections , based on a popular novel by Jackie Collins. In 2013, Tesco confirmed that it was pulling out of its US market (Fresh & Easy) stores in April, after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, at a reported cost of £1.2 billion. In September, Tesco announced that it would sell the business to Ronald Burkle 's Yucaipa Companies for an undisclosed amount. That same month, Tesco launched its first tablet computer ,
#554445