About the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG)
In 2015, FLEX established the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG) - a platform to promote discussion, information-sharing and collaboration among organisations working directly with people who have experienced or are at risk of labour exploiration in the UK.
We work together to ensure that responses to labour exploitation, including human trafficking and forced labour, are informed and guided by the interests, needs and experiences of affected workers; and that workers have access to, and are able to enforce, their rights as workers and as victims of modern slavery offences, where appropriate.
LEAG members include:
- FLEX (founder and secretariat)
- Latin American Women’s Rights Service (chair)
- Unite the Union
- East European Resource Centre
- Ashiana Sheffield
- British Red Cross
- Kalayaan
- Bail for Immigration Detainees
- Kanlungan
- Work Rights Centre
- Glass Door
LEAG members with the former UK Director of Labour Market Enforcement, Sir David Metcalf.
LEAG Publications
Position Paper: Labour Compliance to Exploitation and the Abuses In-between
Published by Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) and the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), August 2016.
In this position paper the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group explores the link between labour abuses and exploitation, outlining the factors which in their experience cause or allow labour abuses to develop into more extreme exploitation. The paper makes recommendations for measures to address abuses across the spectrum and thereby prevent the development of exploitation.
Position Paper: Lost in Transition: Brexit & Labour Exploitation
Published by Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) and the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), August 2017.
This paper explores the impact of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union (Brexit) on workers’ vulnerability to labour exploitation. Combining desk-based research and interviews with members of the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), this paper sets out how migrant worker vulnerability to exploitation has been affected by the UK referendum vote to leave the European Union. It looks both at the immediate impact of that decision and considers the key risk areas for the future as the UK transitions out of the EU.
Submitted by Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) and the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), May 2018.
This submission focuses on gendered aspects of labour abuse and exploitation by drawing on discussions and case studies from the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG) and the LEAG Working Group on Women Workers on four highly feminised sectors: care, cleaning, hospitality and domestic work.
Submitted by Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) and the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), September 2018.
This submission describes the experiences of FLEX and LEAG with the Home Office’s activities to tackle illegal working and provides illustrative case studies from FLEX and LEAG’s work with potential and actual victims of human trafficking for labour exploitation.
Submited by the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), February 2019.
People who have experienced trafficking or modern slavery are considered ‘vulnerable’ under the Home Office’s ‘Adults at Risk’ policy. This submission describes the experiences of LEAG in supporting and advocating for victims of trafficking in detention and provides illustrative case studies of the experiences of members’ clients with the Home Office’s ‘Adults at Risk’ policy.
Report: Detaining Victims: human trafficking and the UK immigration detention system
Published by the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), July 2019.
This report draws on the frontline experiences of Labour Exploitation Advisory Group members, including Ashiana Sheffield, Latin American Women's Rights Service and Bail for Immigration Detainees, to explore why and how victims of trafficking are being detained under immigration powers in the UK. It makes strong recommendations to government and calls for an overhaul to the system enabling this to take place.
Submited by the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG), October 2019.
This submission focuses on LEAG’s concerns around the new Single Enforcement Body’s proposal to work more closely with other enforcement bodies, more specifically immigration enforcement. It describes how fear of immigration consequences currently acts as a major barrier to reporting and seeking help when migrant workers face labour abuses and exploitation. This collaboration is seen to negatively affect labour inspectorate’s ability to support workers and identify employers in breach of employment law in the UK. It recommends that UK labour enforcement activities abide by article 3(2) of the International Labour Organisation Convention 81 and recommendation by the former Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants, and protect the rights and interests of all workers, irrespective of immigration status.
Report: Opportunity Knocks: improving responses to labour exploitation with secure reporting
Published by the Labour Exploitation Advisory Group (LEAG) and Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX), April 2020.
This report explores the barriers documented and undocumented migrants face reporting workplace abuse and exploitation to the police and labour inspectors in the UK. It introduces a detailed framework to analyse how information about peoples’ immigration status becomes available to the Home Office following workers’ interaction with police and labour market enforcement agencies. It builds on international examples to provide practical recommendations to government, police and labour market enforcement agencies on introducing and strengthening secure reporting systems to identify and prevent labour exploitation.
Executive summary available here.