Fake ID? That’s not very sporting. December 6, 2009
Posted by sallylester in Current affairs, Olympics 2012.Tags: 2012, building, London, news, olympic, Sport, UKBA
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It was yesterday revealed that 90 workers on the Olympic building site in Stratford had been arrested on suspicion of illegally trying to obtain work and forging documents which allowed them to gain employment in the UK.
Workers from Nigeria, the Ukraine, Brasil, Kosovo, Moldova, India, Sierra Leone and Albania have all been investigated, and many of them charged and deported by the United Kingdom Borders Agency (UKBA) which has a permanent base at the East London site to try and control the employment of immigrant workers.
Speaking to the Independent Tony Smith, senior director for the UKBA’s Olympic 2012 programme, said: “The UK Border Agency has officers based permanently at the Olympic site to check the identity of people seeking work and help ensure the Games are delivered on time, with a workforce legally entitled to be there.
Workers on the Olympic site were illegally working without passports or visas
“We’re working closely with employers and contractors, giving presentations and advising them what checks they need to make to prevent illegal working. My officers offer forgery awareness training and conduct visits to businesses to ensure that their policies and procedures are up-to-date.
“By working with other agencies we can help make the Olympics a safe and enjoyable event for all.”
These set-backs in building is not ideal for keeping the schedule on track, but at least precautions are in place and these illegal workers are not slipping through the net and compromising the build in that way.
It was also confirmed that eight workers on the site for were eligible to work in the UK were also arrested; one of which being a British journalist who had gone undercover to try and expose lax security at the site. Looks like he was wrong. Security is tight.
