By ALICE CACHIA A
RECORD number of penalties are being handed to employers for hiring illegal workers. New data shows the Home Office issued a total of 2,933 in the financial year 2016/17, at an average of eight every day.
That is the highest figure on record and more than twice as many as 2012/13, when just 1,270 penalties were given out.
An illegal worker is anyone who is subject to immigration control, aged over 16, and not allowed to work in the UK.
Employers are expected to remain compliant with immigration rules and check employees have permission to work here. Any who are found to be in breach of these rules will be issued with a penalty for each illegal worker. Bosses who have not been caught employing illegal workers within the previous three years have to play a minimum £5,000 per illegal worker. Those who have previously been caught flouting the rules have to pay a minimum of £10,000 per illegal worker. Support groups said it was important not to stigmatise the workers themselves, who were often victims of exploitation.
The Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) is an alliance of companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations aiming to improve the lives of workers.
Ben Rutledge, senior adviser at the ETI, said: “Undocumented migrants are some of the most vulnerable workers in our society, and many have no choice but to work long hours under poor conditions for very little pay.
“For unscrupulous employers, they offer a cheap, unregulated workforce, who are often too afraid to complain about exploitative conditions for fear of being arrested and deported.
“Migrant workers often come to the UK in the hope of making a better life for themselves and their family.
“Unfortunately, many of them lack the choice or the means to come here legally.
“Some will be victims of trafficking, while others will have significant debts to get here.
“As such, they are especially vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
“In most cases, the real criminals are the individuals, gangs and employers who make money from the exploitation of desperate people.”
The government last introduced a new deterrent to the employment of illegal workers.
Employment allowances allow businesses to claim a reduction of up to £3,000 a year on their employees’ NICs.
But bosses will not be able to claim this for a year if they hire an illegal worker, have been penalised by the Home Office and have exhausted all appeal rights against that penalty. A Home Office spokesperson said: “To those who choose to ignore the rules, the message is clear - we will find you and you will face a heavy financial penalty. “Illegal working is not victimless: it undercuts honest employers, cheats legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities and defrauds the public purse. “We urge anyone with specific and detailed information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch with Immigration Enforcement.”