Brown urged to help

Britain's vulnerable workers

(19/10/07) Trade unions and MPs have united in urging the government to put an end to casualisation at work.Today a private member's bill was being debated in parliament, which seeks to give agency and temporary workers the same rights as permanent employees.At the same time, a letter in support of the bill was addressed to the prime minister, reminding Gordon Brown of the one million agency workers who are vulnerable to insecurity and exploitation at work.Signed by prominent MPs and trade union general secretaries, including UNISON's Dave Prentis, the letter says that legislation for the protection of agency workers, many of whom are migrants, must be prioritised. "Such legislation is vital," it says. "There are now an estimated one million agency workers in this country and the sector is growing. However, UK law states that these workers can be employed on poorer terms than directly-employed colleagues doing the same job - the result being that agency workers lose out on vital protections such as pay, sick leave and overtime. "This discrimination in the treatment of a significant and growing number of workers is in sharp contrast to the Labour government's stated aim of promoting equality across society."Campaigners insist that in the absence of the long-awaited EU directive on agency workers, the government must produce the domestic legislation that will protect them, as promised in the Warwick agreement. Labour MP Paul Farrelly's bill was 'talked out' by the government during its first hearing in March, despite having the overwhelming support of backbench Labour MPs.