TRS Personnel, a recruitment agency listed as a member of the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation) has lost its Gangmaster Licence Authority permit after it was found that the company was systematically skimming workers’ pay.

The agency’s licence to provide temporary workers to a number of food factories in the UK has been revoked with immediate effect earlier this month. The deadline to appeal the decision has already passed.

The company is based out of Stafford Park, Telford, and is run by Shrewsbury couple Jeff and Vicki Lawrence. 

The GLA had investigated TRS Personnel after receiving complaints that it was ‘chopping’ workers’ hours, resulting in underpayment of wages and a significant financial advantage for the business.

The discrepancy over wages was revealed when the numbers of hours the factories being billed for was checked against and found to be greater than the number of hours for which employees were paid. 

GLA Director of Licensing Nicola Ray said: “TRS Personnel systematically denied money due to their workers using a number of different methods – effectively preying on the lowly-paid by skimming their wages to boost company profits.

“By employing such tactics the employees received less than the National Minimum Wage and such pre-determined exploitation will not be ignored by the GLA. The Lawrences showed no willingness to comply with legal, regulatory or professional requirements and standards and have effectively now been banned from working in our regulated sector.”

The company was found to have breached four of the GLA’s Licensing Standards – three of which were critical. One critical breach is sufficient for a licence revocation.