To protect the integrity of our contingent workforce and ensure fair working practice, it is crucial that we take a firm stance against illegal working.
Upholding legal standards benefits businesses, operatives, and the industry as a whole. Stonebridge contracts with our clients to maintain an ethical, transparent, and fair industry where the rights of our contingent workforce is key.
The issue of illegal working remains a considerable challenge in the UK, with estimates implying that the number of illegal workers could be between 1-2 million. Whilst the exact scale is uncertain, the importance of preventing illegal working is vital for maintaining the integrity and fairness of our supply chain.
Unlike some countries that provide basic rights to undocumented workers, such as ensuring they receive the national minimum wage for all hours worked, regardless of their status, workers in the UK, including asylum seekers and refugees, often have little or no employment protection. This leaves them highly vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and in extreme circumstances, modern slavery.
Businesses that knowingly engage illegal workers are not only exploiting vulnerable individuals but also disrupting the market and creating unfair imbalances. By undermining compliant companies that abide by legislation and operate fair working conditions, they distort competition and encourage a further decline in labour standards across the industry.
Get in touch with our compliance team today if you want to know more about the checks we have in place to ensure we hold a statutory excuse for our entire contingent workforce, compliance@sbcontracting.co.uk.
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