Jail threat for hiring illegal workers

Rogue employers could face jail sentences for employing illegal workers under new plans drawn up by the Home Office.

The new rules would also see companies who fail to carry out checks on workers facing civil penalties such as fines.

The Home Office’s Illegal Working Action Plan sets out measures to tackle illegal immigration, including compulsory ID cards for foreign nations,

An employee checking service will be set up by the Border and Immigration Agency so that companies can run regular background checks on its employees.

Employers who knowingly take on illegal workers will be open to criminal prosecution, and if convicted could face unlimited fines or jail.

Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said: “To combat illegal immigration it is not enough to stop illegal journeys. We have to close down the illegal jobs that tempt people to try their luck coming to Britain.

That means making it easier for companies to check whether someone is here legally – but also coming down much harder on businesses which break the rules or turn a blind eye”

But construction union Ucatt said the Home Office plans did not address employment problems within the sector.

Ucatt general secretary Alan Ritchie said: “This is a yet another high profile crackdown on illegal workers which fails to address the real problems that industries such a construction are facing. The bogus self-employment scheme which operates through the Government’s own Construction Industry Tax Scheme, encourages the gross exploitation of legal migrant workers. If the Home Office was really serious about tackling the problem of illegal workers then they would be working with the trade unions, who are experts in dealing with these issues, and not just relying on the business community.”

A Home Office consultation has been launched to determine the exact civil penalties to be levied on negligent employers.