MEPs call for sanctions on employers of illegal immigrants while UK opts out

MEPs are set to endorse today a new EU law obliging Member states to have measures penalising employers of illegal immigrants. But the UK government intends to invoke its 'opt-out' and therefore the legislation will have no effect in the UK.

Penalties would include fines, being forced to pay wages in arrears at legal levels, and bans for up to five years from bidding for public sector contracts or receiving state aid. Repeat offenders could attract criminal sanctions. There are also provisions for unpaid taxes to be recovered, for liability of sub-contractors and effective inspections by Member State authorities.

Sarah Ludford MEP, Liberal Democrat Justice and Human Rights Spokeswoman, said:

"It is imperative to crack down on rogue employers. They commit a triple whammy: encouraging the traffickers who bring in illegal migrants; exploiting vulnerable people with pitifully low wages and atrocious conditions; and cheating legal workers and the tax system by undercutting the legitimate labour market.

"The UK government's refusal to sign up to this law, on a skimpy pretext, calls into question their credibility in vowing to tackle illegal immigration. It is like Gordon Brown's two-faced pledge of 'British jobs for British workers' while lauding globalisation. The Labour party's credibility on fair working practices is being shot to pieces."