Member Article

?Migrant workers need protection? - TUC

Migrant workers need better support from the Government to avoid being exploited by rogue employers, claim the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and East of England Development Agency (EEDA). TUC research on migrant workers suggests that a minority of employers prey on language difficulties and ignorance of UK employment law to exploit migrant workers by paying them below the minimum wage, breaking working time rules and making excessive deductions for accommodation provided. Better co-ordination between regional employment, health, education and housing services would avoid this exploitation while also helping the various authorities deal with an influx of groups of workers, especially in parts of the country not historically used to dealing with waves of immigration. Richard Ellis, chair of EEDA, said: “We live in a modern world and we need to deliver modern solutions to the issues which hinder the ability of migrant workers to truly fulfil their potential in the UK. We would like a cross government task force to create an action plan to help migrant workers get a fair deal when they come here.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .