7 May 2008
Eradicating the scourge of insecure, low paid work where abused workers have little hope of help and exploitation and undercutting are widespread, must become the political priority for the government and a major cause for our times, Unite, the biggest union in Britain and Ireland, has urged.
The call comes as the long-awaited report from the Commission into Vulnerable Employment (CoVE), a year-long examination of the causes and huge personal costs of insecure working in the UK is published today (Wednesday, May, 7th, 2008).
The report - produced by the business, government and workforce representatives who formed the Commission, which was coordinated by the TUC - includes a ten-point blueprint for change embracing both immediate legislative change and a renewed focus on rigorous enforcement of existing law.
Commenting on the report's conclusions, CoVE member and deputy general secretary of Unite, Jack Dromey said: "The Commission has taken a long, hard look at the reality of working life for millions of people and found it to be a grim picture. A low wage, long hours, hire and fire culture where employers help themselves to workers' earnings and basic safety is casually disregarded, with scant hope of the law being enforced, let alone prosecution of the crooks. This must end.
"The exploitation of millions in a twilight world of vulnerable employment demands a national drive to end abuse at work, protecting workers against shameful practices and good employers from undercutting crooks. There must be the same emphasis placed on rooting out the rogues as is placed by government on punishing those who fail to pay their TV licence or dodge their taxes.
"By building consensus around what must be done to eliminate abuse, the Commission has pointed the way forward. With household name companies accepting the case for change, we now look to government to embrace this moral cause and show they are on the side of the millions of vulnerable workers in this country."
Gail Cartmail, Unite assistant general secretary and fellow CoVE member pressed for particular attention to be paid to the place of women in the workplace: "Women are the majority of the UK's working poor. Two thirds of low paid workers are women. They are the greater number of workers who are undervalued and exploited in the worst paid, most vulnerable jobs.
"But with a combination of better legal protection and enforcement, focused on lifting women out of poverty into secure, decently-rewarded jobs, I am convinced we would take a major step towards tackling the persistent injustice of child poverty.
"The CoVE report has set out achievable proposals. We now invite government to share our vision for fair employment and a fairer UK."
Unite is backing key recommendations from CoVE including equal treatment for the millions of agency workers in the economy, an extension of the Gangmasters Licensing Act to embrace construction, hospitality and social care, and an urgent reorganisation of enforcement to drive up standards and uphold the law.
