Gangmaster guilty of "exploiting employees"
A former gangmaster from Oldbury has been disqualified from being a company director for 13 years following an investigation by the insolvency service. Kashmir Singh, former director of Newtex Limited, failed to keep proper records in respect of more than £4m of sales income, the agency said.
Singh’s ban will commence on 28 December.
The investigation found that Singh "exploited his position as a gangmaster to underpay employees and also failed to keep proper records in respect of Pay As You Earn (PAYE) and tax payments due on over £4m-worth of sales income".
The service said the company obtained a Gangmaster Licensing Authority Licence (GLA) in order to provide employees for seasonal agricultural work. The investigation found that having obtained a GLA licence in 2006, the company operated until 2008, when the licence was revoked, following an unannounced inspection of a customer for which Newtex had supplied the labour.
Stephen Speed, chief executive of The Insolvency Service, said: “Singh exploited his employees, showing a total disregard for the standards and behaviour expected of someone in his position. Being a director carries with it certain responsibilities, which Singh completely ignored. His disqualification shows that the Insolvency Service will take action against directors who fail to adhere to their duties.”
