The Considerate Constructors Scheme is to update its checklist requirements for the sites it visits to include the stipulation that contractors must properly carry out the Home Office’s Right to Work checks.
The move supports an ongoing campaign to crack down on illegal working in the industry, as non-UK nationals individuals who do not have the right to work in the UK often become victims of exploitation and intimidation – now defined as “modern slavery”.
Alternatively, they can come into contact with organised criminal gangs in order to secure fake documents, creating reputational or security issues for the companies that employ them.
Earlier this year, the Home Office and other government agencies, including HMRC and the HSE, launched Operation Magnify, a targeted programme of site visits aimed at stamping out the problem, but also highlighting it on the industry’s agenda.
At the CIOB’s recent International Inspiring Construction conference, Chris Tilley, the Home Office lead for the programme, told delegates that a week-long programme of visits in October had involved more than 150 sites and resulted in around 50 arrests. In nine cases, investigations are still ongoing.
"The Considerate Constructors Scheme fully supports the government’s Operation Magnify initiative to target construction businesses employing or exploiting illegal workers."
Edward Hardy, Considerate Constructors Scheme
The CIOB strongly supports efforts to stamp out illegal working and the exploitation that goes with it, seeing the issue as critical for raising safety, ethical and professional standards in the industry.
Considerate Constructors Scheme chief executive Edward Hardy said: “The Considerate Constructors Scheme fully supports the government’s Operation Magnify initiative to target construction businesses employing or exploiting illegal workers.
“As the scheme makes around 17,000 monitoring visits a year to registered sites and companies throughout the UK, it is taking the lead to help raise awareness and provide support and guidance on this important issue.
“From the start of 2016, the scheme is including a question and a prompt within its monitoring checklist specifically on illegal working on sites. This means that all registered sites and companies will have to be able to provide a positive answer to scheme monitors about how they are dealing with this issue.
“In addition, the scheme’s Best Practice Hub – an online resource sharing best practice, tips, guidance and case studies across the industry – will gather examples of best practice from sites on this matter. This will provide a useful resource for the industry to learn from one another and to show the industry how it is possible to ensure that no illegal workers are engaged in supply chains of Considerate Constructors Scheme registered sites or companies.”
Construction Manager will be looking in more detail at Operation Magnify and the Right to Work checks in its CPD section in January.
