date: 2 April 2008

embargo: 00.01hrs Thursday 3 April 2008

Free training for Polish workers

The TUC is offering free training for Polish workers employed in cleaning, security and building services across Tower Hamlets and the City of London.

The Vulnerable Workers Project (VWP), led by the TUC and funded by the Department for Business and Enterprise (BERR), is organising free training courses for workers on rights at work, trade unions membership, building links with community groups, and providing advice to other workers and community members.

The VWP, based in Canary Wharf, has also published an employment rights information booklet in Polish (available from www.vulnerableworkersproject.org.uk) to help Polish workers better understand UK employment law.

Polish workers comprise about 65 per cent of A8 nationals that have come to Britain to work, but are the lowest paid workers in the capital. Three in four (75 per cent) A8 nationals earn between £4.52 and £5.99 an hour, compared with just 12 per cent of all UK workers in London.

The TUC found that 25 per cent of Polish workers in London had not received any written contract of employment, and more than a quarter had faced problems with getting paid properly. This included not being paid for all the hours worked, discrepancies between pay and pay statements and having unauthorised deductions made from their wages. Other problems reported include holidays and holiday pay, working excessively long hours and not being provided with adequate rest breaks.

Regional Secretary for the TUC in London Megan Dobney said: 'Polish people have been legally entitled to work in the UK since 2004 but that hasn't stopped unscrupulous employers from trying to get around the law and employing them on less favourable terms and conditions than British-born workers.

'Working excessively long hours, with no contract of employment, low pay and not being paid for all the hours they work plus a complete lack of health and safety training are common complaints received by the TUC from Polish workers who sense their British bosses are trying to pull the wool over their eyes when it comes to their jobs and the law.

'Unions are keen to help migrant workers stop employers from using a poor grasp of English or ignorance of UK employment law as an excuse to treat people badly, and these free TUC training courses will help Polish workers in London become more aware of their rights at work.'

Polish workers in Tower Hamlets and the City of London can also share their experiences of working in London with the VWP. The project wants to hear about the kinds of problems they have encountered at work. This information will be used to make recommendations to the Government to ensure that employers provide workers with their full employment rights.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The Vulnerable Workers Project (VWP) is a pilot project that is funded by BERR and is delivered by the TUC, which aims to demonstrate good practice in protecting vulnerable workers and supporting good employers.

- For more details of the training courses on offer contact Bob Blyth, VWP Project Manager, on 020 7467 1355 or email bblyth@tuc.org.uk

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

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Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk

Press release (600 words) issued 3 Apr 2008