Two million people 'trapped in low-paid, insecure jobs' » Bill payments » 24dash.com

An urgent call to end exploitation at work was made today after new research showed there were two million people "trapped" in low-paid, insecure jobs where mistreatment was the norm.

The TUC urged employers, the Government, unions and even consumers to play a part in tackling the problem after claiming that employment practices seen as exploiting workers in the 19th century were still common today.

The union organisation set up a Commission on Vulnerable Employment, which expressed "shock" at the number of vulnerable workers and the amount of poor treatment regarded as perfectly legal.

Examples of exploitation included a fast-food employee who had worked for three years without a paid holiday and was putting in 70 hours a week, and migrant domestic staff being underpaid as well as facing physical and sexual violence from their boss.

The report called for a major programme to raise awareness of employment rights, more funding for enforcement agencies such as the Health and Safety Executive and a fresh crackdown on employers who made illegal deductions from pay packets.

Commission member Kevin Beeston, chairman of Serco, a firm which helps governments manage change, said: "Meeting vulnerable workers and hearing the evidence first-hand for myself, I have become increasingly surprised by my own and society's ignorance of these issues.

"It's disappointing to see how low the morals of some unscrupulous employers can be, and it's time society stopped turning a blind eye to these workplace abuses that are shaming the world of work and tarnishing the reputations of good employers."

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "All the commissioners - whatever their backgrounds - were shocked at just how vulnerable some workers are in today's Britain. Their treatment is a national scandal, and we need urgent action.

"But we have to cut thought the sterile debate that has turned any proposal to help even the most exploited people at work into a pro-union, anti-business old Labour move. Good employers have nothing to fear - and much to gain - from policies that stop them being undercut by bad employers who break the law or use loopholes to get round it."

Kate Wareing, Oxfam's Director for UK Poverty, commented: "This reinforces Oxfam's own experience of working with vulnerable workers - that millions of people in the UK are being paid less than the minimum wage and are not receiving the rights and benefits they are legally entitled to, many others experience constant insecurity because of their status as temporary or agency workers.

"The Government wants work to be an effective route out of poverty, but the reality is that there's an invisible army of exploited workers in the UK, doing some of the lowest paid, most insecure and unpopular jobs in the country - jobs which do not give them enough to live on and affect their health and well-being."

The Community union conducted a survey among 8,000 workers as part of a submission to the commission, finding that three out of four workplaces used temporary and agency workers, some of whom were on contracts of no longer than a week, and were on just two hours' notice.

General secretary Michael Leahy said there was "clear exploitation" of agency workers, who were being used to undermine the pay and conditions of permanent staff.

He added: "Is it any surprise that, when a growing number of hard-working people have seen a real drop in income - at a time when fuel and food prices have risen sharply - and who have seen employers threaten that they will bring in more agency and temporary workers and take away their ability to argue for decent pay for a job well-done, they did not come out and vote Labour in last week's elections?"

Employment Relations Minister Pat McFadden said the report would be examined as part of the vulnerable workers' forum, due to report back in the summer.

"The exploitation of vulnerable workers is unacceptable and the Government has worked hard to bring in employment rights like the national minimum wage, paid holidays, health and safety regulations, statutory maternity and paternity leave and sick pay. We want these rights to be properly enforced.

"Most employers do the right thing, but some are doing the wrong thing, so it's vital we enforce the law. That's why we're boosting penalties and enforcement to catch those who don't pay the national minimum wage and doubling the amount of agency inspectors to investigate abuses.

"We've brought in new regulations to ensure bosses can't unfairly deduct accommodation and other expenses from people's wages.

"The Government's forum is covering some of the same ground as the TUC report and is considering evidence on the type and extent of abuse of worker rights and other employment legislation. It is also looking at the enforcement regime and whether improvements can be made."

John Cridland, deputy director-general of the CBI, said: "We welcome the report's focus on protecting workers from abuse by a small minority of employers, and a number of the ideas put forward are sensible.

"However, the report fails to distinguish between improved enforcement of existing employment rights, which will have real benefits for vulnerable workers, and more regulation, which will not.

"Every worker in the UK is already supported by a strong floor of employment rights, including a National Minimum Wage, entitlement to paid holiday leave and statutory sick pay, and regulations on working time and health and safety."