CAR WASH ASSOCIATION COMMENTS ON RIGHT TO WORK OFFENCES

Data from the Illegal Immigration Unit at the Home Office showed that 78 hand car washes across the UK had been fined a total of nearly £1.5 million for ‘right to work’ offences in the first nine months of 2023.

Brian Madderson, Chairman of the Car Wash Association (CWA), said:

“It is disappointing that even in the face of blatant violations of the law, the Government is still unwilling to crack down on illegal hand car wash operators.

“These non-compliant hand car washes flout the law with impunity and are continually empowered by the authorities’ lack of enforcement. Whether born from unwillingness or inability, the failure to act signals to criminals that they can violate workers’ rights without legal repercussions.

“By going back on their 2019 manifesto promise to create a Single Enforcement Body, the Conservatives have announced to criminal gangs that they are not serious about cracking down on their activities. When criminals are allowed to operate with impunity, lives are put at risk. The issue of enforcing the law is one that transcends party politics and should be prioritised by any Government.”