The director for labour market enforcement, Sir David Metcalf, has said leading brands need to be held responsible, along with suppliers, for non-compliance in their supply chains.

He added that while this would initially be done in private, he proposed brands and suppliers that fail to correct non-compliance should be named and shamed.

These proposals are part of a series of recommendations Metcalf made to government today on preventing the exploitation of the U.K.’s lowest paid workers, in his first full report since taking up the role in 2017.

Some of his other recommendations include:

• Higher financial penalties and more prosecutions of employers that exploit workers

• The enforcement of holiday pay and mandatory pay slips for all workers

• The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) to be given more resources and an extended remit

• A pilot scheme to test the licensing of high risk businesses, including car washes and nail bars

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