ALL-NIGHT PUB STAFF "NEED PROTECTION"

Pub workers must have their working conditions protected under government plans to allow 24-hour opening of pubs, according to the Transport and General Workers Union (T&G), which represents bar staff.

While not opposed to 24-hour opening, the T&G has made a case to the Home Office arguing that:

* all existing contractual rights should be respected;

* any change in hours should be made only with the full consent of the worker concerned; and

* employers should make sure staff released from work late at night have a safe means of returning home, bearing the cost of taxis as required.

The union also wants measures to protect bar staff from violence:

* increased use of CCTV both in the pubs and in their immediate environment;

* employers to provide personal attack alarms for staff in areas where violence is prevalent; and

* support for the national "Pubwatch" scheme and work with the pub managers' section of the T&G to maintain pressure on the government for implementation of a "Ban the Thug" Act.

Pauline Robson, a bar worker in the north east and member of the T&G executive, said: "Not all pubs will be open 24 hours so it will be important for the few that do to make sure that employers put in the proper safeguards to protect bar staff from violent attacks and abuse."