Ten recruiters in Manchester and the surrounding area have been issued with warnings for breaking employment law rules.

Following recent investigations by the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, investigators found the agencies were in breach of regulations, covering over 30 infringements of the law.

The worst infringements include:

* withholding pay from workers

* failing to issue terms and conditions to workers and hirers

* imposing unlawful conditions on finding jobs for workers and taking payments for services without informing them

Employment relations minister Pat McFadden said: ”The recession must not be an excuse for denying people their employment rights.

“The government has doubled the number of Employment Agency Standards inspectors so that they can get out on the ground in places like the North-West and target the rule-breakers.

“Follow-up investigations will take place to make sure that the agencies concerned have changed their ways.  Agencies that continue to flout the law could be prosecuted, hit hard with unlimited fines or even banned from operating for up to 10 years.”

A spokesman for the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR) told Recruiter that the agencies could not be named at this time and were being given time to comply with the legislation.