Galaxy Personnel is the first recruitment agency in the UK to be awarded a license from the Gangmaster Licensing Authority (GLA). The license prevents the exploitation of workers in the food supply chain and means that everyone involved in the agriculture, horticulture, and associated processing and packaging industries can distinguish legal operators from illegal ones.
Galaxy Personnel underwent a two-day assessment with government officials, including extensive interviews with staff, and passed with flying colours. The company, which has two offices, the head office in Kings Lynn and one in Lithuania, was particularly praised for ensuring that immigrant workers have translation skills to hand to help with form filling and opening bank accounts along with any health and safety issues that may arise with customers, among other things. Collectively, 12 members of staff speak 15 different languages at Galaxy Personnel. The result is that a high quality of labour is consistently provided to clients.
Galaxy Personnel has grown to an estimated turn over of 4 million in four years and fulfils 80-100 contracts a week, with this rising to 150 a week in the summer months. Peter Blackmur, Managing Director of Galaxy Personnel, comments: ìMany labour providers are legitimate, hard-working businesses, such as ours, but many more arenít, and they give the industry a bad name. We chose to be assessed for the GLA license as soon as it became available on the 6th April because we wanted to show the industry how transparent we are with our working practices. This legislation becomes mandatory in October and any agencies without it by December will be breaking the law and will be forced to close. Fines will be imposed on agencies and clients, with custodial sentences being imposed. Every recruitment agency should work to the same ethical trading and production standards, it is unacceptable that the food on your table could have been picked, produced or packed by an exploited worker. The GLA has been given the powers to curb this abuse in the UK, which is a good thing for the industry.î
Galaxy Personnel is one of the largest agricultural recruitment agencies in East Anglia providing the agricultural and industrial sectors with staff from the UK backed up by staff from various countries within the EU community. With expansion plans for the year ahead including the opening of two new offices in the UK , the future looks bright for Galaxy Personnel in providing the UKís agricultural and industrial sectors with a reliable, happy, skilled and most importantly, legal workforce. Peter concludes: ìOur aim is to give continued support to our present customers and any new ones that join the team, along with people of all ages, who live or move into East Anglia offering them temporary and permanent positions to a variety of sectors.î
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Galaxy Personnel ñ the first recruitment agency in the UK with official licensing
The license prevents the exploitation of workers in the food supply chain and means that everyone involved in the agriculture, horticulture, and associated processing and packaging industries can distinguish legal operators from illegal ones
