Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Shocking living conditions of Eastern European 'slaves' revealed after rescue from warehouse where they were paid just £25 for working a 80-hour week k

These pictures show the appalling living conditions a group of eastern European slaves were forced to endure before being rescued by police.
Officers saved 13 Slovakian 'slaves' during a raid at a picture framing factory in Rochdale.
They have alleged they were working in terrible conditions and were paid £25 for an 80-hour week after deductions for rent and travel.
The home they lived in is bare, filthy and some of them were forced to sleep on a mattress on the floor. 
Filthy: The Rochdale house where the 13 Slovakian slaves lived. They were paid £25 for an 80-hour week after rent was deducted for the squalid home and travel
One officer said: 'The men and women were effectively working for pennies, while simultaneously ensuring they remain reliant on the people enslaving them'. Pictured, a mattress on the floor in their spartan home
Grim: Washing dries in a bare, filthy room in the Rochdale house the workers were forced to live in
The 'slaves', all adults, were found during a police raid working in a unit on a business park and had been subject to 'physical and verbal abuse', say police.

Four men, aged, 34 51, 43 and 40, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to require another person to perform forced or compulsory labour and conspiracy to commit trafficking offences.
The raid follows the previous discovery of 10 other eastern European 'slaves' at a house in Rochdale, where the workers were being kept four to a room.
It is the latest phase of Operation Retriever, designed to tackle human trafficking in Rochdale.
Its first strike last month ended with five people being charged over their alleged involvement in a trafficking ring which is said to have sold a pregnant woman into a sham marriage and then attempted to trick her into aborting her baby.
More pictures showing the squalid conditions. The raid follows the previous discovery of 10 other eastern European 'slaves' at a house in Rochdale, where the workers were being kept four to a room
Commenting on the latest raid, Det Insp James Faulkner said: 'This is another excellent result from a joint operation which has strived to uncover and protect vulnerable victims from the men and women hoping to exploit them for their own financial gain.
'The men and women working in the factory have told us that they were subjected to physical and verbal assaults at the hands of their employers and forced to work more than 80 hours before ending up with around £25 for their week's work.
'This is a typical example of how modern slavery can work in the UK.
'The men and women are promised accommodation and jobs, but are forced to live in cramped, terrible conditions before being taken to work in a factory for more than 12 hours each day.'
The 13 'slaves', all adults, were found during a police raid working in a unit on a business park. Four men, aged 35, 51, 43 and 40, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to require another person to perform forced or compulsory labour and conspiracy to commit trafficking offences
The 13 'slaves', all adults, were found during a police raid working in a unit on a business park. Four men, aged 35, 51, 43 and 40, were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to require another person to perform forced or compulsory labour and conspiracy to commit trafficking offences
He added: 'At the end of the week, the factory owners pay them around £125 for their 80 hours, but then take up to £100 away immediately for rent, travel and other expenses.
'This leaves the men and women effectively working for pennies, while simultaneously ensuring they remain reliant on the people enslaving them.
'When you consider that this factory was producing frames and pictures for major high street companies, with contracts running into the millions of pounds, it proves just how much money these men stood to make from this exploitation.
'Now GMP and our partners in Rochdale council will be striving to safeguard these victims from further exploitation, and we will do our utmost to ensure that the people responsible for this injustice are punished to the full extent of the law.'
Mark Widdup, director of economy and environment with Rochdale council, said: 'Today's raid is another example of agencies working together to share, connect and act on information, quickly and effectively.
'Through truly groundbreaking initiatives like PET, the Partnership Enforcement Team, we use all our tools and powers, be it through housing, revenues and benefits or trading standards to disrupt criminality in the borough.
'We want to send a clear message that Rochdale council and the police are committed to rooting out criminal behaviour, bringing the perpetrators to justice and helping victims.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2876138/Police-rescue-20-Eastern-European-slaves-warehouse-working-80-hours-week-just-25.html#ixzz3M8Sd41AP
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