Construction union UCATT have received a significant boost in their campaign to have the Gangmasters Act extended to the construction industry.

Yesterday, UCATT seconded the contemporary issue on employment rights which called for the Gangmasters Act to be extended to the construction industry. The issue was supported by conference and will now form part of Labour’s internal policymaking process.

Speaking at Labour Party conference, Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "Workers, whoever they are. Wherever they work. Must not be exploited. The government must act. And extend the Gangmasters Legislation."

A growing number of organisations have recently called for the extension of the Gangmasters Act to the construction industry. These include: Rita Donaghy in her government commissioned report into construction safety One Death Is One Too Many, Oxfam and also the Home Affairs Select Committee. The trade union movement is also united around their support for the Act to be extended to construction.

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In the past month there have been two high profile cases of Gangmaster exploitation. In early September a Gangmaster was discovered to have made an additional £300,000 when supplying labour on the East London Line extension. Despite the Gangmaster being given £155 per day per worker, the workers were receiving barely the minimum wage.

A fortnight ago the Inland Revenue arrested over 20 people in the Midlands and the North West due to a multi-million pound fraud involving criminal gangs operating as Gangmasters. The gangs were supplying labour to construction sites but disappearing before paying national insurance contributions and taxes.

Mr Ritchie, added: "I fear the recent cases are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Gangmaster exploitation. The government must act to stamp out these abuses of construction workers once and for all."

(CD/KMcA)